Hisana's Happiness Theory
by Yami Scarlet
Summary: "Be happy, Byakuya. Be happy even if I'm no longer here." It drained her last remaining strength but even so she remained smiling as a tear fell on her pale cheek. Sakura petals fall down along with the last breathe of Hisana Kuchiki. Centuries after her death, a Soul Reaper comes with the same name as Byakuya's late wife. OC x Byakuya R&R :) (2nd person POV)
1. Chapter 1

"Be happy, Byakuya. Be happy even if I'm no longer here." It drained her last remaining strength but even so she remained smiling as a tear fell on her pale cheek.

Sakura petals fall down along with the last breathe of Hisana Kuchiki.

It was the last time Byakuya Kuchiki knew what love was.

2 centuries; nobody has seen any flicker of emotion on his face for 2 centuries. It has always been this way. And it always will be. He was sure of it.

* * *

*Human World* *Flashback*

You are running away from a strange creature. You could see them; sometime small, sometimes big but they all have something in common: masks. You hoped you would see one of THEM; those who wear these black attire with swords strap to their waist, they would know how to kill this goddamn creature. You heard them call it hollows.

You were cornered, you've ended up at a dead end. You heard the piercing scream of the monster, "Shit," you muttered to yourself. But cursing won't do you any good; this has to be your worse luck ever. You will die. Today.

But death doesn't scare you much at all. You have been searching for it. It was your way of escape from your day to day life; your family doesn't really give a shit about you, you don't have that many friends, you don't really like school, and all those crap. You don't really know what you're doing with your life.

Then there it was, that ugly monster, running towards you. In those moments, you thought what's it like to be reincarnated. You wanted to be a star; yes, being a star would be pretty cool.

You felt it. A huge slash on your chest brought you back to reality, blood flows out your body as you fall down to the ground. _It's warm_ , you thought. You're losing consciousness; a thousand memories flashed through you. Before the hollow could dealt you with a finishing blow, you closed your eyes engulfing you with darkness. Black has never been this comforting.

* * *

*Rukongai**Flashback*

You woke up to the feel of someone poking your face, you groaned. Wait a sec.

"Taro! Stop that! She needs to rest!" a girl with short brown hair, pale green eyes and tattered clothes came barging in. This Taro guy backs up as he heard the girl, "She's been out for 7 days! She HAS to wake up!" the boy has the same brown hair like the girl but shorter of course and he has a darker shade of green in his eyes. They both look so young.

' _I'm alive?!'_ You shot up suddenly making the two persons jump up. You suddenly felt pain and you were lying down again. "Oh my god I really am alive," you said as you look at your hand that was covered with bandages.

"SIS! SHE'S AWAKE!" the boy said, pointing at you. You look around the room, it was not the type of room the rich and famous would want to live in but it's enough to call home, you guessed. A voice disturbed your musings.

"I can see that Taro no need to shout." The girl sat next to you as if examining you. "Hello, I'm Sora and this is my brother, Taro."Sora said with a smile while Taro just stared at you, still shocked.

"I'm alive…"

"Yes, you are alive. We found your body near the forest and you were unconscious so we took you here and took care of you."

You scanned the room again, this place does not strike you as familiar. "Thank you… I- where is this place?" your voice was weak, you lack energy. But you have to know, why didn't they just leave you off at a hospital or something.

"You're here in Rukongai." The boy finally spoke up. Where the hell is this Rukongai? You've never heard of it before. Is this some kind of province you never knew? You look at Taro like he was crazy because there's no way that there is a place near your house called Rukongai.

You tried to sit carefully, avoiding feeling that striking pain you felt when you suddenly sat up. Sora gently assisted you, you muttered a 'thank you'. "No problem, would you tell us what happened to you?"

Would they understand it when you tell them you were being chased by hollows? Do know what hollows were? But more pressing matters came to your mind, you need to go home.

"Uhm, I was being chased by… something." You tell them. As much as you're thankful for them for saving you, you can't stay here. You have to go home, come up an excuse for returning late and go on through the day.

But they don't think you're telling the whole story, Taro looked skeptic. "What was it?" he pressed on. Guess you have to tell them, "Hollows. Ugly ones."

They didn't look at you weirdly like they think that you're from an asylum. It seems that they DO know. A flash of concern was plastered on Sora's features and Taro looked like he was going through shock again but it was quickly replaced with a grin.

"WOAH! YOU FOUGHT A HOLLOW?! THEN YOU'RE A VERY POWERFUL SOUL REAPER!" You could literally see the sparkle in his eyes; it was your time to get shocked, "No, I was-"

"Taro, calm down. You're scaring her." Sora stated calmly, but she too looked like she was excited to hear your story.

What? Soul Reaper? WHAAT? Where you in another dimension or something?

"WAIT." You look at them both, making them focus on you. "I can't follow with some of the things you said. I'm not a soul reaper, and I don't know what the hell that is. I don't know where this Rukongai is. I need to go home, mom's gonna kill me."

"But you were wearing a shihakusho and you were holding a sword when we found you! And you fought a hollow! You're a soul reaper!" Taro exclaimed, too excited for your own good. Sora stepped in before Taro could ram you with words.

"My brother's right. You were wearing this," she handed you the black attire that you have seen before; it's the same with those who killed hollows, _'No way this is happening right now.'_ Sora continued, "Here's your sword, it's pretty sealed tight so I can't unsheathe it. And as for Rukongai, it is located in Soul Society, home of the souls."

Soul Society? Home of the souls? Like heck you're gonna believe that.

"No, no, no. I don't know what you're talking about. I don't own these stuffs." You stand up, limping as you started looking for the exit. You can't stay here. This is insane. This whole thing is insane.

"Wait!" Sora followed you as went outside.

The blast of sunshine that welcomed you as you stepped outside made your eyes turn to slits as you re-focus your vision, and you hope that your eyes was just playing tricks on you. This place was VERY different from what you're used to living in, it looked like a freaking Edo era; far from the cemented buildings you always see in your town.

People didn't noticed you. They would just passed by like nothing's wrong. ' _I've gone crazy'_

Sora gently pulls you back to the house, "Calm down, we can explain this to you if you're feeling confused. Maybe you lost your memory…"

"I'm human." You suddenly blurt out.

"Well that makes sense." Taro appears. You were dead, you're sure of it. But now you're here, being claimed as a Soul Reaper. What in the hell happened? All this thoughts made your head spin.

"What's your name?" Sora asks.

"Hisana… Hisana Koizumi." Darkness embraces you yet again.

* * *

*PRESENT*

3 years had passed since that incident. Some part of your memory of that has become hazy that it's pretty hard to remember. You remember Sora and Taro; they always helped and cared for you. They were the ones who suggested you go to the Academy for soul reapers, that maybe you could find your answer there.

1 year was all you needed for you to finish that course, you were advanced apparently and even though you already possessed a zanpakuto, that's what they call swords, you had another. Making your classmates think you're superior or powerful. Classes and training made you forget the troubles you had back home and you have come to accept the life you have here in Soul society.

Now you are a full pledged Soul Reaper. But you still don't belong to any divisions yet, they say you have to pass an exam for you to be able to join a division.

You made up your mind. ' _No harm in trying.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Your palms were sweaty. Even though you have done a lot of training before taking this exam, you can't help but still feel nervous. This is gonna be your first time killing an actual hollow.

You and other Soul Reapers were taken to a place farther than Rukongai; all you could see was barren land everywhere. There were other Soul Reapers, probably those who are seated officers, patrolling around the perimeter. Its night and it made the whole land look more eerily. You clutch your other zanpakuto, the one Sora found the first time you had arrived here, but all those years you were never able to unsheathe the sword.

The Academy thought all students how to communicate with the spirits dwelling within their swords; you tried doing so with your own zanpakuto but all you ever heard and saw was low mumbling and eternal darkness. You never got to know its name.

While your other zanpakuto, Aoi Fushigi, is _strong_ since it's a strength-type zanpakuto, you still can't help but doubt your skills. While you wait for the signal for the commencement of the exam, you decided to go talk to your zanpakuto.

Blue. The world within you was crystal blue. Clear skies could be seen above and the surface of your world reflected it with its waters. As you landed, the waters rippled. A beautiful woman is standing at the center; she has white hair going blue as it nears the tip of her hair, she wears something similar like your shihakusho but the sleeves of her upper garment are longer than her arms and her lower garment ends just above her knees; she's covered with colors of gold and white making her look paler; and at the back, she has a huge blue ribbon made of ropes, _'She looks so bright and sparkly'_ , you thought.

She opens her eyes as she notice a presence; she has a gold eye on her left and a blue one on her right. She stares for a moment before speaking, "Hello, master. What brings you here?" her appearance is such a contrast to her strength.

"I still can't use my other sword." You get straight to the point.

She doesn't respond and her eyes turns to slits. She doesn't really like it when you talk to her about your other zanpakuto, but you have to find out a way to open it or at least know its shikai. She can get really scary when she's angry.

"It's dangerous. _He is dangerous._ " Aoi Fushigi spat out those words. ' _So the other zanpakuto is a HE.'_ She knows something that you don't; maybe she has met the other spirit, but why didn't she told you?

"How can you say that? Have you met _him_? You haven't told me anything about that." You stand alert in case the strength of your sword backlashes on you. You might be in control of her but that doesn't mean you're in control of her emotions.

Aoi Fushigi is contemplating how to answer your questions. She knows you hate lies and when someone lies to you, your anger can even surpass hers. That is what made her trust you with her powers. But sometimes you tend to be a big pain in the ass.

The spirit sighs, "Are you prepared?"

"That doesn't answer my questions."

"I am asking if you are prepared." Her voice is bordering shouting and commanding. You have ZERO idea of what she's talking about and it doesn't help. "I don't understand what you-"

"The sword and spirit you are seeking is sealed within you. It was formed _by you_ and _because_ of _you_. He is the polar opposite of me but nevertheless, strong. If you still wish to gain his power, then I will not stop you. But remember this, a soul can never have two entities within it; it crushes the balance of your inner world and it can kill you. So, master, are you prepared?" Aoi Fushigi looks at you like she's challenging you. You were tempted to find out the truth about that sword but knowing the truth can kill you.

"Is there even a chance for me to unsheathe it?" You ask.

"The reason why he restricts his release is to protect you and this world. You have no idea what would happen to you when you release him. He is dangerous for you and the whole Soul Society. You have a chance, if you can stay alive though." She smirks at you, how can your zanpakuto seem all cool about this?! _'My god, this woman is getting on my nerves.'_ But you know that without her, you'd be useless.

A thought pop up in your head, "Wait, you said he's dangerous to me and to SOUL SOCIETY. I can understand why he's risky for my well-being but what does it have to do with Soul Society?"

"Do you want to know?"

"I wouldn't be here if don't." You answered sarcastically.

"Then tonight would be the best day to know why. Prepare yourself, Hisana Koizumi. Finding out the truth can never be easy and sometimes it comes with a cost. Good luck, master." She disappeared and you open your eyes again. You heard the officers shouting at the newbies to gather and listen for the instructions. You stand up, not knowing what to do.

"…That is all! Don't be stupid to take on the enemy alone. Work with your team well and you may come out victorious. We'll be watching so if anyone gets in trouble we can step in. Alright, let the exams begin!"

You have no idea what instructions that officer said; you were so distracted by what Aoi Fushigi said. _Prepare yourself_ or _the truth sometimes comes with a cost_. This is no time for distractions, at any moment a hollow could appear in front of you and it could spell D-E-A-T-H.

There were 4 of you in the group and you could already tell that they are not the type to work with others. You recognize one of them, he belongs to one of the noble families in Seiretei; Yamagura House you think. You don't exactly liked his attitude since he was more of an asshole than a noble.

"I'm going to lead the group since I'm trained to be a leader." Yamagura started barking orders to the group but none of them were listening.

"What are you gonna do?" a member asks Yamagura. He answered proudly, "I'm the leader, so obviously I'm the one guiding you." He points to all of us, "You and the others are my pawns. Pawns are the ones who do the fighting."

"Tsk, leader my ass. I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do." A rough looking member said before leaving the group.

As if on cue, a huge Menos Grande emerge right in front of us. ' _It screams bloody trouble if we don't do anything about it'_. As fast as this Menos showed, Yamagura quickly hides himself in the shadows. _'All talk, no action'_

You put your hand on the hilt of your zanpakuto. You're shaking uncontrollably; this is the first time you've encountered such a huge hollow and to top it all off, it's a MENOS GRANDE. Luck was not on your side. Your teammates scurry around to avoid getting crush by the hollow while all you could do was stare.

' _I- I gotta do something. I can't waste this chance. No.'_

"Enclose them, Aoi Fushigi!" Your zanpakuto turned to a long sword, almost like a spear, and had an extra blade on its side but only as long as your normal zanpakuto when not in release. It has a blue and gold tassel at the hilt.

You can feel multiple spiritual pressure rise as they release their zanpakuto. But you focus at the task at hand, you have to defeat this ugly monster come what may. You flash step towards the Menos and got behind its back. You prepare to strike.

"Right here, hollow!" You swing your sword in a circular fashion and steadied it behind your back. A circle formed to where the Menos is standing and before it can even react, it's surrounded by a beam of blue swirling light almost like a Cero. You jump high before your previous attack wears out and slashes the Menos' mask with your zanpakuto.

The hollow dissipates into the air as you defeated it. The Soul Reapers stare at you dumbfounded while your other groupmates look like they don't care. But before you could celebrate your win against a Menos, multiple hollows decided to show up. And when you say multiple, it means many…as in MANY.

There are more hollows than the Soul Reapers taking the exam. You ready your fighting stance and sharpen your senses. You can feel your adrenaline rush and your heartbeat pounding on your ribs. You slice hollows after hollows, you didn't bother the fatigue you felt creeping at your arms and feet.

' _This never ends.'_ You thought as you slice another hollow. You could see that there were many who are injured now. Those who can still fight continues to slash and cut every moving hollow they see. There is no time to get or feel tired.

In a place not too far but not too close to the venue of the exam, three captains and a lieutenant watch as Soul Reapers try their best to kill all hollows.

"Ah, the memories. It feels like yesterday when we passed that exam." Kyoraku-taicho, 8th division captain, rubs his chin as he muses about the old days. Next to him is a captain who has a long white hair flowing down his back, "Don't you think that there are too many hollows for them to fend off?" Ukitatake-taicho, 13th division captain, answers back.

"Well, this IS an exam. I hope they finish it quickly though so I can sleep again." Kyoraku-taicho grins.

"You're too laid-back Shunsui. There's a reason why we're here."

"Calm down, Jushiro. You're starting to sound like Mister Stone Face over there." Kyoraku pointed to a man with jet black hair that is adorned by a kenseikan, his scarf flows along with the chilly wind of the night, his handsome face is embraced by the moonlight and yet there is no expression on his face except the steely gaze he bores upon the Soul Reapers below him who are currently busy fighting to notice them.

"Kuchiki-taicho, it's getting pretty rowdy down there." Abarai Renji, his lieutenant looks like he wanted to join in the fun. But they are not here to do that, they have a task to perform.

The 6th division captained answered coldly, "No need to point that out Abarai, I can see that for myself." Renji snorted, he was use to his captain's "winter" attitude. It ain't new to him.

"Where it this girl the So-Taicho keeps warning us about? There's no one here with an abnormal zanpakuto or spiritual pressure." Renji wants to go back home and sleep, but he can't because disobeying orders from his captain isn't something he can easily get away with.

The cold captain did not respond, instead he kept his gaze trained on Soul Reapers doing to exam.

You are tired. Tired and panting from exhaustion of fighting and defending. There were still many hollows, some of your groupmates are injured and had to be taken away to Squad 4. Those goddamn officers did nothing to assist you or the others.

A hollow scratches your arm deeply disrupting you from your thoughts; you cringe at the pain. As you prepare to slash the hollow that injured you, you were suddenly thrown off balance as a Soul Reaper came flying to you. You lost your grip to your sword in the process and it was thrown somewhere in the herds of hollows.

You knock the guy off of you; you are surrounded. You could try snatching your sword but that would be too dangerous. You knock your brain with all kido spells you know and you chant the first kido that comes to your mind.

"Destruction No. 4: Byakurai!" You shoot a ray of lightning from your palm but it was all over the place and you missed, _'Goddamn, get a grip!'_ As you berate yourself for terribly casting a spell, a hollow came lunging towards you. You kick it hard, sending it towards other hollows.

Blood trickles to your forehead down to your eyes, seems like it got you. You're kneeling; you're close to collapsing from exhaustion. The hollows then decided to go at you all at once.

In the distance, the three captains notices the commotion. They find you surrounded by a bunch of hollows.

"A brave soul, I see." Kyoraku looks at your direction. "She can't possibly handle that many hollows." He adds.

"She's in danger! We need to stop the exam now!" Ukitake replied. He's ready to save you when a hand blocks his way. It belonged to the noble captain, "Do not disrupt the exam."

"Kuchiki-taicho, we can't leave that girl like that." Ukitake argues but Kyoraku pats his back as if to reassure him. The three captains continue to watch.

You have cuts everywhere and you still can't get a grip of Aoi Fushigi. Blood is seeping through every damage on your body. Your heartbeat is fast and you were shivering at the same time. Your vision starts to blur.

You hold your other zanpakuto. The blood from your hand covers the hilt with red splotches. You are desperate, and you could really use a sword right now. You hope for it to answer your calling. Adrenaline rush starts to kick in in your system again and the screams of other Shinigamis fall deaf to your ears.

You take your sword and tries opening it with force you thought you'd lost. One hollow strikes your back and you fall to the ground; but the sword still won't budge from its sheathe. You're losing patience and in frustration you scream.

"YOU! WHY DON'T YOU HELP ME WITH YOUR STRENGTH?! YOU ALWAYS REJECT MY CALLING! YOU **ALWAYS** REJECT ME! YOU-" You stop as you felt something stab your abdomen. You doubled over as you press a hand to the wound to stop the bleeding.

' _Crap, crap, crap. Not again! I can't lose!'_

Your other hand was still holding your other "useless" zanpakuto. You drag it close to your body and whispered "I trusted you."

Darkness was always something that came with you wherever you go or whenever something bad happened to you. This time, darkness is there again but something feels wrong to you. It wasn't the cold darkness that comes along with death, it was the kind of darkness that every being fears.

"Good luck, Master Hisana Koizumi." Aoi Fushigi whispers as the world she stays in turns into something ominous. The once blue skies turns stark red with black clouds and the waters turn into a shade darker than black.


	3. Chapter 3

You feel like you're floating. Just like one of those scenes you saw on movies before you ended up here; you're floating but there is nothing but darkness. You don't feel anything; you try to reach out, just to feel something to hold on, but there is nothing out to reach.

You close your eyes again, you focus on other things instead of the fear sinking in the bottom of your stomach. You have never been this afraid of the dark.

' _Is this what it feels like to die?'_

Then suddenly gravity decided to surprise you. You are pulled out from the trance of floating; you know you're falling, falling is different from floating. Very different. You keep your eyes closed as you wait for the impact of solid ground or something to meet your back but it never did.

You landed quiet softly on black waters, black as in you can't even see your own reflection. You sit up, scared as hell, looking around for any sign of LIVING and BREATHING beings beside yourself. You look up in the red sky that's adorned by clouds of black, if this isn't hell then you have no clue where you are.

Everything is still, not even the waters move as you pace your way farther. This place looks a lot like your own inner world minus the peace and the entity that comes with the original one. A thought strikes you, what if Aoi Fushigi summoned you here in your inner world to save you? A sense of hope sparks in you. But you need to find out if what you're thinking is true.

"HEYYYYY! AOI FUSHIGIIII! I'M RIGHT HERE!" You shout as loud as you could. Aoi Fushigi's always there to greet you when you visit your world, so why is she not here right now? _'Weird'_

After your fifth time of shouting, you are losing hope, maybe this is hell. You decided to try calling one last time but before a single word could come out your mouth, a figure was suddenly right in front of you. You scream instead.

"OH MY GOD, YOU SCARED THE SOUL OUT OF ME! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING APPEARING OUT OF NOWHERE?! SHIT!" You fan yourself with your hand trying to calm down your tingling nerves. This person, _'Or at least I think this is a person'_ , has a black cape on, the only things you could make out from its features are the hands and face, the hands are covered with bandages; his face is covered with it as well but it starts from the base of his nose downwards, the rest of the face was hidden by the hoodie of the cape.

You're pretty sure this is Death right in your face.

You move backwards, suddenly becoming _mindful_ of the person in front of you. This somebody blends in well with the black waters, you quickly think that he's one with water or even with this world.

You're thinking of what to say, what words to speak because you're afraid. You don't know who this is, and for all you can sense, he could be dangerous. "Who are you?" is the first thing that comes to your mind.

" _I am nobody. I am a soul; fleeting yet caged. I have no name, no identity."_ Now you know HE is a MAN. He has a low voice, that doesn't make you less uncomfortable. He talks pretty deep.

"Uh, okay. I get it." You sound stupid even to your own ears. The man doesn't make an action to respond, you stare at him, waiting for him to speak again and you're awfully sure you just made yourself look more stupid.

" _They hate loneliness, they hate people who are different, and they will treat you like you are a monster. A monster in the dark. They hate darkness. So they will hate you."_ This guy's making you insane, what is he babbling about?! He suddenly appears in front of you and then tells you some deep shit you've never heard before.

"I'm not catching you're drift, man. You're making my head hurt with all these… _words_. I just want to know who you are and where I am. Just get straight to the point. Oh, and have you seen a lady here somewhere, she looks sparkly." You have your guard up but stalling won't get you nowhere. Maybe this is purgatory and he's like a guardian judging you whether you deserve to go to hell or not.

" _Ah, then maybe this will make you have an idea of who I am: 'YOU! WHY DON'T YOU HELP ME WITH YOUR STRENGTH?! YOU ALWAYS REJECT MY CALLING! YOU ALWAYS REJECT ME!' Did that help you? As for your other question, you are in your inner world. Yes I saw a woman, but now…"_

... Realization has never been this scary and creepy to you all at the same time. HE was that ZANPAKUTO. HE is YOUR other sword. You have a thousand things to ask him, but you focus on the matter at hand. You steel yourself, this is no time to chicken out.

"How come you don't have a name!? Every zanpakuto has one! And what do you mean I'm in my world, this doesn't look like blue to me! Where is Aoi Fushigi?!" You're screaming now. You can't let this man do anything to your world or to your other zanpakuto.

" _That woman is here somewhere, do not worry. But she told you didn't she? Who and what made me. But there is something I only know; not even that woman or you know. She is correct; I am dangerous but so are YOU."_ The man in cape said as he points his index finger at you. He already made you feel stupid and now, he's making you feel unwanted. What did you do to deserve this?! You were already lonely back in the human world, it isn't good to feel lonelier here especially when all you got is yourself.

You lower you head, hiding your eyes from him. You were weak you know that, but after all those years of enduring, you never once shed a tear because of what you felt. You kept it to yourself thinking that hiding your weakness will make you stronger. What does this guy know?! How can he judge you when he's only seen you ONCE?!

"What do you know about me?" you mumbled more to the water than to him.

" _I know the reason why you can keep two different swords at once."_

"But that doesn't give you the right to make me feel weak." You don't move.

" _But right now you are, you are WEAK. You think that achieving Shikai makes you strong? Then what about what counts inside you, those feelings of melancholy; it will haunt you. You have no one to share that pain with."_ He taunts you. Your thread of patience breaks. _'That's it!'_

You glare at him furiously. You have never been this angry in your whole life; not even when your father decides to leave you and your mother, not even when your mom threw all your money into gambling, not even when you found out that your friends were backstabbing you. You can feel something bubbling inside you.

He notices the change in your spiritual pressure but he didn't even flinch. He continues to stand there, ignorant of the emotions coursing through you. He starts speaking, _"200 years ago, a lady you share a name with died of sickness."_

There he was with his deep shit again.

He continues, _"Her last wish was that her husband would find happiness again even after she's gone. But no one knew what her other last wish was before all of her existence vanish."_

"CUT THE CRAP!" You lunge forward, ready to punch him with a force of a raging bull. He dodges swiftly, and quickly produces a black sword. He aims it near your heart before you can start attacking again. The sword gleams even though it's black, you can sense fear again and it made your anger lower down by a notch.

" _She wanted to see her husband again one last time. She begged for the gods to hear her wish; the gods took advantage on how fragile and, at the same time, determined her soul was. She was willing to sacrifice everything just to see her husband one last time even if it meant cursing her soul."_

You have no choice but to listen.

" _Her wish was to be granted under one condition, her soul was to be cursed of solitude. She was to be destined not to share the joy of love with someone. She was fated to end up all alone. She accepted without any doubts. She was reborn… as a human."_

' _Well it's a good story, but what's the point of all this?!'_ you thought.

" _She merged with another soul from a mother's womb. She cried for the child, for she knew that the child will share the fate she had. All for her selfish wish. So she locked her soul, as if to prevent the curse, and she threw herself at the pits of darkness."_

You'll never admit it but this story got you hooked.

" _That darkness was me."_ He starts talking again before you could process that information, _"And the soul of that lady resides in you. Lady Hisana Kuchiki. Hisana Kuchiki is you. That is why you have two souls. One is yours, one is Hisana's."_

Saying that you were stunned to hear that would be an understatement; this was difficult to understand and you felt even more devastated that you… Hisana, is cursed with solitude.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey, thanks for the reviews. If you have any suggestions for the story, feel free to comment below

* * *

To say that you were surprised to hear that would be an understatement. You,in your years of existence, never thought that something as heavy as this would ever be brought upon you. You feel damaged, _'Yes, I think that's more like it. Damaged.'_ Just because of someone's selfish wish, you have to live your life ALONE.

It's not that you already have someone you like; and marrying isn't in your plans either, but you know the time will come when you have to take these things seriously. Now you don't have to worry about that because of some stupid curse.

You must have been out of it for a while; you can hear your other zanpakuto calling your name. _"Hisana Koizumi? Are you listening?"_

' _Hisana…hah. That doesn't sound like my name anymore.'_ you think to yourself.

" _HISANA!"_

You feel that familiar anger rise inside you again. This was too much. Everything you had ever lived for has been boiling down to this moment. The truth never hurt this much. You made it through every problem you have faced before but this is different; and for the first time in your life, you have no idea what to do, no one to lean on to and no one to confide in to.

" _Just accept the truth Hisana! Nothing will change even if you want it to. Nothing can change fate."_ Your other zanpakuto lowers his sword. He observes you quietly as you intently stare into nothing in particular, your eyes devoid of any emotion.

You know the feeling of sadness but not this kind of sad. No matter how many times you change yourself, things would still end the same. You'll end up lonely, maybe lonelier than you are now. "…I don't want that…" you mumbled.

The breaking of silence surprises the male zanpakuto, _"It doesn't matter if you want it or not. The only choice you have is to accept it."_ Even your nameless zanpakuto seem so distant and cold to you, is everyone around you destined to be like that? A thousand memories run across your mind, you admit to yourself that most of them are not that merry but it made you who you are today.

That alone makes you don't want to let go of hope. That maybe you can still find happiness. That maybe there is a way for you to break this ordeal. Maybe there is still some happiness left for you.

With more conviction, you replied to your other sword, "I won't give up… I- I know… there is still something I can do!"

Something about your answer stirs something inside the male zanpakuto. For all his slumber inside your soul, he has never seen anything but darkness around and he's used to it. He can never approach someone without dragging them into his own darkness and that's the case with you. No matter how many times he tries to pull you with his darkness, you always seem to find light. He knows your soul like the back of his hand and yet you can still manage to surprise him with your light.

He decides to try and push you again with words, _"There is NOTHING you can do."_ It would all be much easier if you could give it all up and give in to despair.

"No. I am me and no one else. I haven't even tried anything yet; and I know I can still do something." Your eyes fix on the man in front of you with determination. It hurts and you know that, yet things like this can't bring you down easily. No, they won't bring you down.

The man before you stares at you for what felt like eternity before speaking again, _"…You are stubborn. A very interesting human…"_ you can barely hear his voice, almost like he's saying it more to himself rather than you. _"Do you understand what you are doing?"_ he says in a firmer voice.

"…I don't know. I'm just doing what I think would help me find… something. A better ending perhaps." You have decided already.

You feel something different about the mysterious sword and the world around you. The sky above you change colors, from ominous red it turns into a clear night sky decorated with stars. You look at the sword hoping that he would say something about the sudden change but he's still stationary and silent in his place. You then notice the waters at your feet, instead of the black waters, it all looks nothing more than normal water reflecting what the sky has.

"What's happening?" you ask, hoping that all the changes around you is good news.

Your other sword calls your name, his voice tone has changed, _"Hisana Koizumi."_

"Yes?" _'Weird, he doesn't creep me out as much anymore.'_

" _Nothing will change your mind…is that correct?"_

"Nothing."

" _Then…"_ He pauses. _'Then what? He's not gonna ask me to fight right?'_

" _Then promise me one thing."_ The man stands straighter, he looks like he has found his answer too. That is not what you have been expecting but nonetheless, it's better than fighting. He looks better at fighting than you. If this is his way of letting you do what you want, then so be it. "Fine. What is it?"

" _Hisana Koizumi…"_

' _I take it back, he's still creepy.'_

" _All I am asking for you is… light."_

What?

"Uh- I mean, what do you mean by light? I'm not sure I'm following you."

" _In your determination and conviction, I found light. I have never seen the light before, Hisana Koizumi. All I have is darkness; I am alone. I would like to see it again: your light. Share it."_ As he says that, he lowers the hoodie that screens his face.

His skin looks pale like Aoi Fushigi, making him look ultra-fragile. His black hair is messy and is curling at the tip, some of it covering his eyes. But what strikes you most is his eyes, blood-red eyes stare at you as he awaits your response. All of his bandages were gone, and you can see him clearly now.

" _Hisana Koizumi."_ He doesn't sound cold like before and the way he says your name feels like he has said it a thousand times before.

If possible, it seems that you have momentarily forgotten everything he said to you earlier. You remain in trance, mesmerized by how delicate this man's feature are. He looks so fluffy; you feel your cheeks heating up, _'Stop that, Hisana! Focus!'_

" _Hisana Koizumi?"_ He looks at you, worried written across his face.

"Oh! Yeah- Sorry. Just a little- No, um- yeah light. Sure. I'll be happy to show you what light is." You stop yourself from rambling any more. You calm yourself so he won't notice.

" _Then that is a promise. I'll help you look for your answer."_ He holds out his hand towards you. _'Does he want to shake hands?'_

You tentatively raise your trembling hand to capture his. You finally convince him enough to help you; you look forward to knowing more and hopefully, Aoi Fushigi will do the same too. His hand is surprisingly warm, he holds your hand firm, not showing any sign of letting go.

Before you could protest, he tells you his name, _"Zetsubou. Zetsubou is my name."_

' _Despair_ _.'_ You ponder to yourself.

" _Please… Please understand me."_

He starts materializing into a katana before you can start asking him about what he said. The zanpakuto has a black and red hilt, while the underside of the blade is covered in black. Not too fancy for a shikai, but you still don't know what kind of power it holds. You hear Zetsubo's voice somewhere, _"Go, Hisana Koizumi. My power is all yours. Use me to your heart's content. Never forget your promise."_

* * *

(Back to the exam)

A sudden spike of spiritual pressure bursts around the barren land. The four officers stand on guard alarmingly. The shinigamis taking the exam collapses one by one for they cannot withstand the sheer amount of pressure that burdens them, even the patrollers can't handle the bursting spiritual pressure.

"Taicho! Wha- What is this!? Is there an Arrancar here somewhere?!" Renji manages to say while trying to fight out the heavy pressure weighing on him. The captains were trying to locate the source when suddenly a surge of black flames scorches half of the area the exam is taking place in.

"Is this what Yama-jii was talking about?" Kyoraku-taicho tilts his hat shielding his eyes.

"Let's go. This might turn out bad if we don't stop its source." Ukitake said with a voice filled with concern. With that said, the three captains along with one lieutenant flash stepped their way through the exam venue and with each moment they move closer to the source, the more the spiritual pressure becomes unbearable.

They stop near the raging flames and draw out their swords, their senses alive with adrenaline, ready for anything that would try to attack them. The hollows around them were burnt to a crisp; there wasn't a single hollow alive because of the blast.

Renji notices a figure as the black flames around them dies down, he squints his eyes to see it more clearly, "Taicho! I see a person over there!" Renji points out to the direction of the figure.

"Be on guard." Kuchiki-Taicho calmly commanded.

The group cautiously approach the figure amidst the dark flames. Hollows lying around in ashes; even the ground feels crispy as they walk. They could clearly see a figure of a girl holding a zanpakuto covered in dangerous flames.

Renji steps on a burnt Hollow, making a 'crunch' sound. The figure turns around to find four officers with their swords drawn, ready to attack her.

* * *

Time apparently stood still the moment you returned to the real world. You remembered your injury and you clutch it only to found out that there was no slash in your skin or even your whole body, the only proof that you had had injuries are the slashes and holes on your shihakusho.

A hollow catches your line of sight and as a reflex, you grip your new zanpakuto hard. You stood up quickly and prepared to slash the hollow and all the hollows that were surrounding you. The pain of the truth you were told earlier was fuel to your anger and the hollows around you are good dummies for you to release your anger.

All the restrained emotions you felt earlier was projected to your attack, mixing your spiritual pressure along with the zanpakuto. You felt your spiritual pressure rise to unimaginable levels you taught you would never reach, and released an attack.

But the impact of the attack surprised you.

Black flames erupted from your zanpakuto with an alarming power. You had to protect yourself from the blast you made to keep yourself from being blown away from the impact.

' _Man! This is insane! What the hell!'_

You watch the seen unfold as many hollows scream to their deaths. The Soul Reapers around you fainted but you have no idea if it's because of the pressure or the blast. You didn't intended it to be this catastrophic, and you only aimed at _ONE_ hollow but somehow you managed to blow off the entire place. One powerful slash and it almost made the whole place look more deserted; and as for you, it made you exhausted. You tried to catch your breath.

The flames around you dies down to a minimum. Suddenly you heard something and you turn around to catch three captains and a lieutenant, all armed with their zanpakutos. This does not look good.

' _One trouble after the other. Maybe I should search my luck first before happiness.'_


	5. Chapter 5

You stare at the officers. Dumbfounded.

You know why they're here with their swords drawn; your wildest guess would have something to do with black flames and the flaming sword on your hand.

"Oi! What have you done?!"

A certain redhead shouts from the group, he looks like he's ready to kill you with the scary look on his face, and talk about eyebrows. You stare at them; you don't know what to say. You're trying to come up with something appropriate to say without making them think that you're an enemy.

"Hey! Answer me!"

"Calm down, Abarai-kun. You're scaring the young lady." You know this guy, he's the captain of the 8th division, and you've seen him before in the academy, wandering around with the man beside him; the 13th division captain.

There's another captain, whose name you don't know, and this "Abarai" who's a lieutenant according to the badge on his left arm.

"Do you know what happened here?" Ukitake-taicho asks you with a much gentler voice than that of redhead.

"I-… I- Please don't hate me. I'll tell you what happened, just… put down your swords. Please." You're starting to panic, fighting captains and a lieutenant is not ideal.

"How do we know that you won't attack us?" Kyoraku-taicho lowers his sword but it remains on defense position.

"I won't. I have no intention of fighting officers. Please."

The group exchanges glance with one another before completely lowering their swords. They wait for you to calm your senses and mind before they start asking you questions. You sheath back Zetsubo; you grab your other sword that was stuck on the ground and did the same. Ukitake-taicho orders redhead to clear out the area and to evacuate all shinagamis who have participated in the exam.

"Yes, sir." Redhead glances back at you before heading out to his duties. You were left with the 3 captains; to say that you are intimidated would be an understatement. You're exhausted from all the fighting and all that spiritual pressure you released earlier but you can't rest yet.

You feel a little _funny_ inside, like you're supposed to be happy at this moment, and your heart won't stop pounding against your ribs, _'it must be because I'm tired.'_ You clear your throat, gesturing them so that they can start asking questions.

"Can you tell us what happen?" Ukitake-taicho started.

"Well, to cut the story short. I happened to release my other zanpakuto and this," you wave your hand around casually, " _problem_ occurred, sir. I did not intentionally want this to happen and I didn't know it would be this… disastrous." You try to sound calm and compose but that gut feeling inside you won't stop.

You look at the other captain, he remains quiet and he won't stop staring at you. _'Maybe he's the reason why I'm nervous as hell.'_

"What do you mean?" the 8th division captain asks.

"Wait, why do you have two zanpakutos?" Ukitake-taicho looks bewildered. The other two captains notice that you do have two swords strapped on your waist.

"Well this is rare." Kyouraku-taicho mulls to himself. "Can you tell us the name of your zanpakuto?" he continues.

"Aoi Fushigi and Zetsubo."

All three captains look at you as if you've grown another head, except for the silent one. They continue to stare at you; Ukitake-taicho decides to break the silence. "You have _two_ zanpakutos, not twin zanpakutos?"

"Uh, no sir." You hesitantly answered.

"So is this what Head Captain was talking about?" Kyouraku-taicho rubs his stubble chin, clearly amused by the situation.

"We need to question you further." At long last, the silent captain decides to speak. His voice seem very familiar to you, although you're sure that this is the first time you've met him. There is something about it that brings you the feeling of being back home. You stare at him intently.

' _What is it with him? Do I know him from somewhere?'_

"Don't be so harsh on the young lady, Byakuya. I'm sure she's tired, why don't we continue this tomorrow and report this to Yama-jii." The 8th division captain nonchalantly suggests to the captain named "Byakuya".

The name stirs something inside you. You hear a voice in your head. A _lady's_ voice, calling his name.

"Bya…kuya…" You can't help but speak his name out. He glares at you, offended by how daring you are to call him by his first name. At that moment, memories with the said man flashes on your mind. _'Someone's memories'_.In that short clips of memories, you could see him and a woman; he stares at the woman affectionately. Maybe you were delusional, or maybe crazy but you definitely heard your name being said: "Hisana."

"Mind your manners, shinigami. Who are you to call me by my given name?" the captain doesn't seem to notice your eyes that have suddenly become dull. The other two seemed amused by the situation, especially Kyoraku-taicho.

You absent-mindedly answer his question, "Hisana…"

Byakuya Kuchiki's eyes widens for a fraction. He doesn't find this whole situation funny. For a second, he thinks that you're lying with your name but he also thinks that you have no reason to lie about that. He hasn't heard that name for years. He disregards the name as a mere coincidence.

"You thi-" His words were cut short as you suddenly collapse on the ground. Your long black hair covering your face.

"Look what you've done." Kyoraku-taicho playfully said to Byakuya, "Why don't we take her to Squad 4? She probably collapsed because of fatigue." He said as he walks near your form.

Ukitake-taicho shoots a concerning glance to Byakuya. That name may have brought painful memories back to the said man. But the look on Byakuya's face remains passive; devoid of any emotion and not to mention cold. Ukitake sighs before speaking, "Let's go then, she might get cold if she continued to lay there on the ground." Kyoraku carries you in his arms gently.

The 13th division captain softly asks the stoic captain, "Kuchiki-taicho, would you be coming with us?"

"No, I'll report this to Head Captain as soon as possible." Byakuya turned his back at flash-stepped away.

"He must have been pained to hear her name again." Ukitake said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I'm pretty sure he can manage but… we'll see." Kyoraku adjusted you so that you'd be comfortable. He shouts at Renji, "You can go after you finish here."

Your brows instantly come together as you squint your eyes against the blast of sunshine hitting your face. You remembered what happened last night; black flames, officers, Byakuya, and your not so graceful fall as fatigue overwhelmed you. Your mind races back to Byakuya again, _'I feel like I've seen him before. I got this feeling like I've known him for a long time.'_

The creak of the door snaps you out of your thoughts, the captain of the 4th division enters your room. She quickly greeted you with a smile, "Good morning, Hisana. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you very much… wait- how did you know my name?" You sit up. You see your uniform and your two zanpakutos in a corner.

"Ukitake-taicho filled me in with the details."

"Am I in trouble?" Your eyes fills with worry and fear.

"There is another reason why I visited you other than checking your condition. Head Captain has called in for a meeting with all Gotei captains regarding your situation, and you're asked to come to that meeting." Unohana-taicho's smile fades a bit.

"I'll be there; this may be my chance to explain myself better. I need to apologize for all the trouble I've caused." You force yourself to get up from bed, and you instantly feel like you're going to fall down again.

"No need for you to force yourself; it would be better if you'd rest a bit longer. I'll tell the Head Captain of your condition."

"No, please. I can handle this." You smile a bit at the captain. "Besides, it's better if they know the whole story."

Unohana released a sigh and smiled again as she spoke, "Okay then. Let me know if you need anything. I'll come by again when the meeting will start."

"Thank you very much, mam." You politely bowed at her. As soon as the captain departs the room, you quickly change your clothes and you attach your swords on your waist. You mentally prepare your explanation ahead before the meeting.


	6. Chapter 6

All captains of the Gotei are lined up in their respective places; the Head Captain is seated in the center with his staff. You're kneeling down with one knee and you keep your head lowered all the while as they discuss the happenings last night.

"The 6th division captain reported to me last night about the incident. Are you Hisana Koizumi?" The Head Captains voice is thunderous, and it echoes around the room the meeting is taking place in.

"Yes, sir!" You tried to hide the nervousness in your voice. You look up at all the captains as you answered; all of them staring right at you. Byakuya's there too, but he kept his gaze trained forward.

"Would you mind explaining yourself; a shinigami can only have _one_ zanpakuto and yet, you," he paused and directed his stern gaze on you, "have two swords. Not twin zanpakutos but _two different_ zanpakutos."

"That can't be possible!" Soi-fon taicho, head of the Assassination Squad in Soul Society, shouts incredulously. "She would have been dead by now." Hitsugaya-taicho chimes in.

A madman with blue and yellow face shrieks in delight, "This is most interesting! A soul housing more than ONE zanpakuto! You're a valuable test subject, I want to dissect you to find out more!" "That wouldn't happen, Kurotsuchi-Taicho." Unohana-taicho counters.

The sound of a staff slamming the floor stopped all the noise, "Silence! I asked one person, and all I hear are your commotions!"

You steel yourself before speaking, "Sir, I honestly don't know the reason why I have two zanpakutos. At first, I can only use one sword until last night. I happened to release the shikai of my other zanpakuto."

"What is your original zanpakuto? And where did you acquire the other one?" Ukitake-taicho asks.

You looked at him clearly confused; Ukitake must have sensed your confusion and added, "Which zanpakuto came first?"

"Oh, even before I entered the academy I already have this zanpakuto, but I only happened to release its shikai last night. I gained my other sword while in the Academy; fighting for the possession of the zanpakuto with its spirit."

"Does that mean you're good at fighting?" Zaraki-taicho asks you with a wide grin which you find unsettling.

Kurotsuchi-taicho shrieks yet again, "SPECTACULAR!"

Head Captain Yamamoto glared at the captains even more, "Don't make me repeat myself."

"I propose that we confiscate her other zanpakuto." All the captains, except for the Supreme commander, whip their heads to look at the stoic captain who finally decided to speak up. His statement alone makes the whole room suddenly quiet again. You look at him with a frown, "Why would you do that?"

His sharp gaze falls on you, "A shinigami can only have _one_ zanpakuto, unless you have special cases like that of Ukitake-taicho or Kyoraku-taicho; but you don't. That alone may impose a threat to Soul Society if it's used in a corrupt way."

"But I told you, it was an accident!"

"What is your proof? For all we know you could be an enemy in disguise." Soi-fon crossed her arm and looks at you disapprovingly.

They all refocus their gazes on you again, expecting a whole lot of an explanation. In their heavy gazes, anger bubbled up inside you like sparks running in your veins. How could they suspect you of such a thing?! If possible, your frown only deepened with more intensity.

"Wipe that look of your face, shinigami. You should know better than to defy our orders." The captain of the 2nd looked all smug, with her chin tilted high and her head cocked up to the side; it's almost as if she's mocking you. _'Well, it's pretty damn working. Shitty woman.'_

Kyoraku-taicho cuts through the tension, "Why don't we look at her background first before we jump to conclusions?"

A ninja of sort appeared behind the Head Captain, handing some papers that you think might contain your background history. "Hisana Koizumi. Lived at the 43rd district of Rukongai before entering the Soul Reaper Academy. Graduated 1 year after; joined no squad as of yet…" Head Captain pauses for a second, "lived back in the Human World before being sent to Soul Society."

"You were just a human before?!" Soi-fon was back to being incredulous.

"A human can't possibly gain this much power even after a year." Unohana said thoughtfully. To which Hitsugaya replied, "Unless she has some hollow powers inside her."

All the captains drowned themselves with "what" "whys" and "what ifs", save for the Head Captain and the cold 6th captain. You don't really like this much noise, it gets you irritated. You just have to prove yourself to them, but you can't even cut through their chit chats with all that commotion.

You abruptly stood up, only looking at the Supreme commander in doing so. But before you could even voice out your irritation, a powerful and heavy spiritual pressure suddenly spreads around the room. All officers withstood the pressure with no problem. As if on cue, another ninja of sort appeared next to Yamamoto and reported about the abnormal reiatsu, "Sir! Two Menos Grande were spotted along 41st and 44th of Rukongai!"

' _What?! Taro and Sora! They still live there!"_

Sweat began to form on your temple, and your system started to get jumpy. You haven't seen the two of them after you entered the Academy; you don't want your reunion to end up with the two of them killed by a Menos Grande.

"I'll go, sir!" you shouted, "You need proof that I'm innocent right? Well here's my chance."

"Don't get too cocky brat. Just because you achieve the shikai of your other zanpakuto doesn't mean that you're strong enough to fight two Menos!"

You 'tsk'ed at the Commander's reply. You don't have the time to dilly-dally here, "I don't care about power, sir. I care about my friends that are in trouble in that district. So if you'll excuse me." You flash stepped out of the room. _'Who gives a damn about them!? Wait for me, Sora, Taro!'_

"She sure has a fiery attitude." Kyoraku-taicho chuckled. Soi-Fon ignored him, "What are we gonna do, sir?"

Yamamoto began barking orders, "Squad 6, suppress the Menos in the 41st District; Squad 10, go to the 44th. All captains are to be on stand-by unless I issue an order. Kurotsuchi-taicho, you are tasked to monitor that girl's spiritual pressure; any abnormalities found in her reiatsu will be reported to me. Dismiss!"

All captains nod their heads in acknowledgement before disappearing.

A/N: I know it's short, I'm sorry. Peace v(^_^)v


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This one's longer now :0 Enjoy**

* * *

Your lungs screamed at you as you steadied your breathing. You arrived at the 43rd District of Rukongai; you managed to avoid being seen by one of the Menos Grande in the 41st District. You stood in front of the sibling's house…or what used to be their house. The house was completely destroyed; everything around you was destroyed. Your heart started hammering on your ribs as you frantically search for Sora and Taro.

"SORA! TARO! WHERE ARE YOU?!" You screamed, trying to get your voice louder than the screams of the injured. You searched every nook of the fallen house, thinking that they may be trapped inside. You felt your breath stop as you see a hand under the fallen roof of the house.

You carefully went there and removed all the debris cautiously. Right front of you was a very injured Taro; his head was bloody and covered with dust and splinters of wood, you could see a dislocated bone in his right arm, blood was oozing from his stomach, and his ankle was twisted in an uncomfortable way.

"Oh my god, oh my god, Taro… Please don't die, don't die on me!" tears kept falling from your eyes, landing on Taro's cheek. He was barely breathing and his eyes that were full of life started to look dull. You were putting pressure on his stomach so that the blood would stop spilling but it didn't, it started creeping on the spaces between your fingers.

"…Hisana-nee san?" Taro's spoke like a whisper.

"Yes! Yes, it's me! I'm gonna save you, okay? You're gonna live! Don't worry, I won't let you die, okay? Please…" You cursed yourself for not knowing any healing kido. Never in your life had you felt this much desperation. You were a failure. You can't even heal one of the person who saved you when you almost died.

You heard the screams of the Menos Grande tearing the district apart, they were wreaking havoc like bullies who found some weak kid to prey on. You looked around to see if there was any personnel from Squad 4 but there was none, you were the only shinigami in the area. "Sora…-nee san… market…she's there… find… she n-needs help… more." Taro was beginning to go cold; his breathing shallow and quiet; you grip his hand tight as you sob uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm a useless shinigami; I can't heal you! I'm so sorry, Taro!"

"It's-s not y-your…fault, His-…ana-nee san. It… wa-…nice see..ing you… 'gain" And he smiled, bright. Despite all the pain he must have been feeling, he still managed to smile. It was the last words you would ever hear from him.

You ran crying and wailing. Your heart felt like it was crushed to pieces, and it wouldn't do you good if same thing were to happen to Sora. Just like the house, the market was also destroyed. People were screaming and crying all over the place, adding up to your anxiety.

You were closer to one Menos, it was towering the place like a mountain. You stare at it, hatred and anger consuming you, _'I hate you!'_ A voice suddenly caught your attention, _'Sora!'_ You walked in an alleyway and found Sora crouching there with her hand over her head, crying.

"Sora! Thank goodness! You're alive! Oh my god…" You hugged her tightly, and you started crying again.

"Hisana…" she hiccupped, "Hisana, I'm so scared… Taro, I need to find Taro…"

You stiffened, how can you tell her that her brother is dead? "I'm so sorry, Sora… It's all my fault, if only I arrived sooner, if only I was a better shinigami, if…"

Sora understood. Her cries was making her whole body shake; she lost her only brother. "It's not your f-fault. I should've b-been with him. I should've di-died with him!"

"No, no, please don't say that. No one wanted him to die; he wouldn't have wanted you to die."

"Hisana, I'm not qualified to be a sister… Taro's gone…"

"No, it-" you were cut off a scream, a loud one, and it was just above you. The Menos Grande opened its mouth as a ball of cero concentrated in it. You grabbed Sora fast before the cero blasted the both of you into nothing.

Sora was shaking more; her eyes looked everywhere in a panic. You cupped her cheeks to make her look at you, "Sora, please listen to me," you sounded pleading, "I'll save you, even if it cost me my life. I won't let you die. For Taro's sake, please live." Desperation was seen clearly in your eyes, Sora nodded.

She hid in a dark area where the Menos won't see her. You smiled to her to reassure her and yourself; you can finish this Menos Grande, no problem. _'I've done this before in the exam, I can kill this.'_

But this was different than the exam; no one died in the exam, no one was screaming 'help!', no infrastructures were destroyed or burned. This time, someone you thought of as a family died, everyone was screaming 'help!', houses were destroyed and burnt all around you. You need to save Sora and all the people here, and you're gonna do all this by yourself. You remembered the doubt of the Gotei against you, but for now, you didn't gave a damn about it. You were gonna kill the monster that took your and Sora's family.

"Enclose them, Aoi Fushigi!"

* * *

Squad 6 and 10 sped through the wreckage as the disaster spread out before them. Both Menos were now closing in on the 43rd District. They felt another spiritual pressure as they neared the site.

"That must be the girl." Rangiku said to her captain who was scowling at the two Menos. They stopped close enough to one of the Menos Grande.

"Kuchiki-taicho, I'll handle this one." Hitsugaya-taicho led his squad to the Menos and started attacking it. Their reiatsu rising to high levels as they rain attacks on one of the Menos. Kuchiki Byakuya stared for a moment before leaving, going for the other Menos that was causing trouble.

He landed gracefully on a roof as he assessed the situation carefully. He ordered his members to evacuate the citizens and to bring the injured to Squad 4 members. He and his lieutenant are going to be the ones going to face off this gigantic hollow.

A figure caught his eye. He saw you with gashes all over your body, and you were breathing harshly almost as if he could hear it. You were obviously having a hard time defending but you stood your ground and charged at the Menos again and again.

"Taicho?" Abarai asked, following his captain's line of sight.

In a cold and stern voice, he spoke "Let's go."

* * *

"Shit! Shit!" You cursed, _'Why was this thing so hard to kill?!'_ You were bleeding everywhere. You had blocked off a cero and it almost burned you in the process. You panted and panted like your lungs aren't having enough oxygen to go by. You steadied your stance as you swirled your sword in a circular motion to cast a beam to the Menos. The Menos Grande shrieked as it was covered in attacks but none of it seemed to do much damage to the enormous hollow.

' _What the hell am I supposed to do?! I'm so weak!'_ You shut your eyes as you continue to hate yourself.

"HISAAAANA! WATCH OUT!" Sora shouted as her eyes widened in horror. You look ahead only to see a blinding light; a cero.

There was no time to dodge it. You stare helplessly at it as you accept your faith, _'Hah, it's only fitting of me to die like this. It's the only way I can atone for my weakness.'_ You let your sword drop to your side and wait till the light removed you from existence. _'Hey, Taro. I'll be seeing you again.'_ You smiled to yourself.

You suddenly felt being pushed away from the light. A gasp escaped your lips as you saw Sora replace your position. Everything else seemed to go in slow motion; you reach out your hand to Sora but you were too late, _too late again_. A tear escaped in Sora's eyes as she murmured something before she was completely erased.

The two officers halted as they saw the scene that occurred. Renji looked away as he heard your screams; Byakuya remained impassive but something inside of him stirred as he saw you watched someone die.

You didn't notice the two officers that appeared next to you. You don't care if they see you like this; _'Sora… Taro… It's all my fault… it's all my fault. I killed them.'_ You clawed on the ground, and you felt like your soul was going to die.

"The enemy's not dead yet. Get up." The 6th division captain's voice sounded harsh to your ears; you didn't bother looking up at him. The Menos Grande continued to stomp on houses, and you were there crying your heart out. There is nothing you can do.

" _Hisana Koizumi."_ A voice rings inside your head.

' _I don't have time for you.'_

" _Use me."_ Your crying paused for a second and it came out as little sobs. You looked at the other zanpakuto strapped on your waist, silently contemplating on what to do.

Zetsubou spoke in a calm voice, _"You wish to atone for your mistakes, then kill that Hollow in front of you."_

' _I can't, I'm too weak.'_

" _Have you forgotten your promise to me? Sora and Taro wouldn't want to see you like this."_

Memories of a year ago flashed back to your mind, you can't help but crying all over again. You remembered your promise; in your determination and conviction, Zetsubou will lend you his strength in exchange for light. You see Sora and Taro smiling together; they did not die just like that, they'll live as a part of your memories.

"Taicho! The Menos is coming here!" Renji shouted, his sword already in Shikai. Byakuya stood behind you as he held his sword.

You sheath back Aoi Fushigi; you ignored the pain in your whole body. Sora and Taro didn't die for nothing, the least you could was to kill the monstrosity that ended their lives. You let your spiritual pressure spike up, attracting the attention of the Menos even further.

Anger and desperation was creeping in your blood.

"Fall into misery, Zetsubou!"

Byakuya looked at you with surprise in his eyes, the same goes for Renji. They couldn't believe that you still had that much reiatsu in you, having sustained such damage. They were surrounded by black flames, making the surrounding hot and humid. The flames all race toward the huge hollow as the Menos prepared to strike its Cero again.

You charged towards the Menos in a flash. You appeared right in front of its face; your eyes looked so sharp as you faced the Menos without fear. Zetsubo was bursting with black flames as you tightened you grip on its handle.

" _YOU_ will _DIE."_ You slashed it head with such force that a curved-like black flames formed and struck the other Menos miles away. The Menos cried its last howl as it slowly evaporated into nothing; the flames continued to burn the hollow until it was completely gone. It was over. _'Sora, Taro… rest in peace now, okay?'_

Squad 10 and 6 assess the damage done by the hollows. Members of each squad, along with Squad 4, are busy walking around and tending to the injured; looking to see if anyone else survived or died. You were seating on the ground with bandages all over your arm as you watch them do their business when a certain captain talked to you.

"You did well." You looked up to Byakuya this time. After all what happened, you find solace in his voice; a feeling you have yet to explain. You didn't respond to him and he seemed content with the silence formed between the two of you.

You lowered your head, suddenly you remembered what Sora said before she died. You smiled sadly as you felt like you can hear her voice again.

"Be happy."

You can't help but cry again.

* * *

 **A/N: How was it?**


	8. Chapter 8

It has been a week after the incident with the Menos Grande infiltrating the streets of Rukongai. The suspicions of the Gotei against you was lifted after the two squads submitted their reports regarding you and their missions. Kurotsuchi-taicho did not detect any abnormalities in your reiatsu other than the fact that when you release Zetsubou, your spiritual pressure always shoots up. You were then considered to just be a "special case" and you still get to keep Zetsubou.

All that's left was the squad to put you in to. After what happened last week, you weren't really sure if you were already up to joining a squad. But the Head Captain has already smoothed out all those problems.

That's why you're currently standing in his office with an incredulous look on your face.

"Squad 6 you say?!" You sounded disrespectful even to your own ears.

"I don't see any problems about it," the Head Captain replied sternly. You weren't really sure if you could get along with the captain of squad 6 along with their lieutenant. You were intending to join squad 5 or 13 but the look on the 1st Captain's face leaves no room for an argument.

"Would you have preferred Squad 12?"

Your face cringed at the mention of Squad 12. You would do anything possible just to avoid that mad scientist captain. "Are there any options left, sir?" You're hopeful that the Head Captain would reconsider assigning you to Squad 6. Maybe even give you the chance to choose a squad of your own free will.

With a firm voice, Yamamoto replies. "No. I already have sorted this out. You should be grateful that a busy person like me even had the time to place you in a squad. Squad 6 has a good reputation to boast; I don't see what the problem here is."

' _The problem lies in their stone-cold captain because I think he hates me and my entire soul.'_ You frowned as you close your eyes, thinking about this whole squad thing makes your head hurt. With the way Head Captain Yamamoto spoke, you would have no choice other than to agree. You opened your eyes and you released a sigh. "Okay, sir."

* * *

You're sprawled out on your bed thinking of all the things that could go wrong once you officially become a member of Squad 6. _'I'd probably be all by myself most of the time. I'd just mind my own business.'_ You turned to your side, suddenly the image of your soon to be captain popped out in your mind, _'Damn, I forgot about him. I think he hates me already.'_

"Quit worrying, master." Aoi Fushigi materializes next to you. You suddenly jolted up in a sitting position, surprised that your zanpakuto suddenly visited you. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Standing." Your zanpakuto replied coolly with a hint of smirk, "As a shinigami, you should be alert at all times, master." You ignored your zanpakuto's scolding and asked her what she's doing here in your room appearing all of a sudden.

"I noticed your dilemmas and came to give you some encouragements."

"No need, I don't think I'm gonna get through tomorrow. The squad 6 captain's scary as hell, as well as that lieutenant of his. If only that gramps let me choose…"

Your zanpakuto stayed quiet; she looked as if she wanted to say something but a frown would suddenly grace her features. You look at her waiting for her to say something but nothing comes, "Are you okay?"

"You're meeting him."

"The 6th Captain? Yeah, I will. I need to face him tomorrow early in the morning."

Aoi Fushigi gazed at you seriously, "You felt something the first time you saw him, did you not?"

You remembered that funny feeling you got the first time you laid eyes on him, and his name that triggered you to suddenly see a memory. The moment you feel his presence, you would always feel like you're being drawn to him. You recalled what he said to you last week after the battle with the Menos; that was the first time he spoke to you without… hatred or something. You thought that it was his own way of comforting others.

Aoi Fushigi's voice snapped you out of your thoughts, "Don't worry, master. He's not a bad person." She smiled a gentle smile, "Please rest. Tomorrow would be a long day for you."

You took her offer to rest and settled yourself again in your bed. Aoi Fushigi stayed, guarding you as sleep came to overcome you. Shortly after you fell asleep, Zetsubou appeared next to Aoi Fushigi. In the darkness of the room, he looked like Death materialized.

"Despair is awaiting her because of you." Aoi Fushigi kept her voice low so as not to wake you.

Zetsubou fixed his gaze on your sleeping form, _"Despair_ IS _my name. It is not my wish to see her fall into the darkness. Accuse the curse that came along with her."_

Aoi Fushigi replied with a tone full of venom, "This wouldn't have happen if you never appeared."

" _That doesn't matter because everything that's been happening right now has been part of destiny. A part of HER wish."_

* * *

You cursed yourself. You woke up late; you were doing your best to flash step faster to the barracks of the 6th division. You don't want to make a bad first impression to the officers, _'it's not like they haven't had a bad impression on me.'_ You were aiming not to make their impression of you worsen.

You arrived at the barracks catching your breath. A squad member has been expecting your arrival and was tasked to lead you the captain's office. You quietly followed him; you let your eyes wander around the place. You see other members training, others are running around carrying papers.

The shinigami stopped right in front of a huge door, knocking several times as he announced that you had arrived. You heard a voice responding but it was muffled because of the door. The shinigami motioned for you to enter and he left without saying another word. You took a deep breath and entered.

Kuchiki-taicho was busy signing papers that were on his desk. Upon sensing you presence, he stops what he's doing and trains his gaze on you. You felt your breath stopping for a second and your heart beat accelerated. You stand stiff under his gaze. "G-Good morning, sir! I'm Hisana Koizumi, reporting for duty!" you bowed deeply.

"You're late."

You curse yourself again, "My deepest apologies." The door creaked as someone entered; you stand straight again and looked to see who entered. It was the lieutenant.

"Good morning, taicho! Oh," he notices you, "so you're our new member?" he grins. You stared at him, mouth slightly opened. Since when did he became this friendly to you? You answered, "Yes, sir! I look forward to working with you!"

Renji laughed, "Don't be so nervous!" You blushed at the comment. _'Damn, I'm so transparent!'_

"Abarai, show Koizumi around the barracks. Inform her of everything she needs to know." Kuchiki-taicho was already back to signing some of the papers. The lieutenant 'Yes, sir'-ed and ushered you to follow him. You nodded vigorously, and said your leavings to your new captain.

"Koizumi."

"Yes, captain?"

He stared at you directly again, and you felt the same thing all over again, "Welcome to Squad 6."


	9. Chapter 9

You've already settled in quiet nicely in Squad 6. The squad members aren't half-bad when it comes to fighting ( _'Thanks to some training done by Abarai-fukutaicho'_ ) and they can also take paperwork seriously if needed ( _'Except Abarai-fukutaicho who likes to cram things'_ ). You manage to stir clear from your captain's radar, and even if you do manage to cross paths with him, you would just bow your head slightly in acknowledgement of his presence and leave.

Arranging paperwork was part of your routine, then go spar with someone at the training hall, and if you have time, you'd simply sleep. Squad duties has been eating away your hours of sleep so you'd take every chance to get back that missing hours of comfort from you. You managed to find a spot in the barracks where people don't usually go by; it was shaded by trees and it was far from the noisy training hall and busy offices. It was the perfect place for you to take naps.

Your hands supported your head as you were idling around your secret spot, thinking that no one would find or disturb you. You breathe calmly; times like this would sometimes bring you back memories of when you were human but happy moments can be easily counted by your hands and you'd rather not depress yourself. You push back your thoughts and relaxed again when someone interrupted your leisure.

"Well, well. Someone's dishing out work." Renji's form towered over you as he stared down at your level and grinned. You quickly got up and brushed the grass clinging to your shihakusho.

"I have time to spare." You hastily said.

"No need for you to panic. If I had time, I'd sleep through it as well."

"But you always do that." You covered your mouth, quickly realizing what you just said to your officer. "I'm so sorry, don't get angry at me."

Renji laughed it off and ruffled your hair, "Nah, it's the truth. Can't deny it." You smiled at your lieutenant's cheery attitude.

"But wait, that's not what I came here for," he scratched his head, "Taicho called for you in his office." You backtracked every action you made the whole week that would warranted your captain to call you in his office, but you were sure you did everything fine and on deadline.

"What's that look on your face? Captain just probably want to tell you something."

"He didn't say anything about what he's gonna tell me?"

Renji shakes his head, "None. Maybe he's gonna give you more work because you have enough time to laze here. "

You pouted at Renji, earning another fit of laughter from him. He enjoyed teasing you in a friendly way, and it would be great if he _really_ did consider you as a friend. You joined his laughter to calm your nerves.

* * *

You stared at the door in front of you. You kept pacing back and forth, contemplating on whether you should knock now or knock later. You grunted in confusion and nervousness. The door suddenly opened to reveal the stoic captain staring at you.

"Hello, captain. You called for me?" You greeted him uneasily. You prayed he didn't saw you walking around to and fro in the hallway.

"The door wouldn't open itself, Koizumi. Enter." You looked at him, dumbfounded. "I knew you were outside." He said as he turned his back on you. He must have sensed you were outside. _'Goddamn captains and sensing their skills.'_

He spoke as you entered the office, "Squad 6 has been given a special mission." _'He doesn't beat around the bush, doesn't he?'_

He settled back in his chair again while you wait for him to continue, "I am to accompany you and Abarai on the mission. This is an important mission, don't disappoint me." You tried to read the emotions in his eyes but every time you looked at them, you'd get jumpy and that feeling you get when you're with him would intensify.

' _Wait! Then this would be my very first mission! MY VERY FIRST MISSION!'_

Excitement welled up inside you, "If that's an order," there's an eagerness to your voice, "then I'll accept it. What about the details of the mission, sir?"

"Listen carefully, Koizumi. Don't think of this mission lightly; any mission could turn into life and death if you're not prepared." Byakuya's eyes sharpened as he spoke. You knew it in yourself that you're prepared; you have been thoroughly training yourself whenever there's time to spare. You don't want a repeat of 'The Incident' to happen where you felt powerless, watching the ones you love disappear in front of you.

You couldn't helped but blame yourself, but in the end, all you have left is to look forward and keep their memories stored within your heart. Your voice turned serious, "I'm aware of that. I won't let the same mistakes happen again."

"Very well."

Byakuya proceeded to tell you about the mission. Apparently, there is a new discovery of an evolved Hollow in the forest of Rukongai; nothing unusual about the looks but its power is what bothers the Gotei. At first, the 2nd squad was in charge of taking care of it but as the injuries rise within their ranks, they were force to retreat and re-plan the whole strategy. Squad 12 reviewed the data they gathered from the members and had issued a new information regarding the evolving Hollows.

"A Soul-sucking hollow? Don't hollows always do that?" You questioned.

"They do, but this new type of Hollow doesn't feed on the souls it captures."

You were puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Byakuya placed his hands neatly on his lap, "It controls the souls it takes, making it his own." You let out a gasp as you let that information sink in. _'who knows how many souls he has by now?!'_

"Does that mean we'll be fighting an army of dead souls?!" You asked, but then the souls living here are practically dead, what does that make them?

A calm voice broke you out of your musings, "The reports say the Hollow can only control two at a time. Even so, it has proven to be strong even for the Assassination Squad."

"Well, that's good. But if it's that dangerous, why don't they send in more reinforcements instead of sending 3 people?"

"Because it doesn't matter how many they send if the shinigamis fighting it are incompetent." You flinched at the choice of words your captain picked. _'Jesus, can't he be less straightforward?'_ He did have a point though, it would cause more trouble if more people were to get injured. You just wished that he wouldn't be this harsh describing those who aren't blessed with guts and wits.

Does this mean that your captain thinks that you're competent? You internally acted out wiping the tears of joy forming in your eyes.

You turned serious again, "So what are we supposed to do?"

Byakuya closed his eyes, "Annihilate it. The mission will start in five days; be ready."

* * *

You spent your days training extensively for your very first mission; you can't let your officers down. "I have high expectations for you," kept repeating in your head ever since your captain told it. You have to make yourself stronger, strong enough to protect everyone. You were swinging your sword in a graceful manner when your lieutenant and a petite girl walked in the training hall.

"What are you doing here anyway?" the day was just starting but Renji sounded like he was already exhausted.

The petite girl glared at Renji, "Can't I visit my friend? Besides, I have a report to give to Nii-sama."

You greeted both of them politely, "Good morning."

Renji noticed you first and greeted you; the girl did the same along with a smile. You can't help but stare at her, she reminded you of someone. She has big violet eyes; short-haired, a strand of hair falls on her face; petite and slightly thin. You blinked.

"Oh! Rukia, this is Koizumi; the new member I told you about. Koizumi, this is Rukia; my childhood friend."

You introduced yourself formally, "My name is Koizumi Hisana. Nice to meet you." You bowed slightly. Rukia appeared to be surprised upon hearing your name but quickly recovered herself, "I'm Kuchiki Rukia, no need to be so formal." She patted your shoulder.

The name 'Rukia' sparked something in you, but the mention of 'Kuchiki' got your attention. Renji seemed to read your mind and explained, "She's the captain's little sister."

Your mouth formed an 'O' shape and your eyes widen, "WHA-? Woah! Really?!"

"Adopted little sister." Rukia corrected.

"There's no difference." Renji shrugged.

"There is, you moron!" She then smacked Renji's head to make a point, earning a yelp from the lieutenant. _'Even though she's adopted, she still has some resemblance to the Captain. Sugoi.'_

Rukia looked at you, "Let's be friends too, okay?"

 _"Rukia… My little sister…"_

You whipped your head to the direction of the voice you heard, but no one was there. You definitely heard someone speaking, _'Maybe I'm just hearing things._ '

"Koizumi?"

You thought about your cursed life for a moment, but maybe having friends weren't counted in your misfortune. You accepted Rukia's offer with a smile.

A/N: I am very sorry for updating late (*bows head*); I was trying to finish a one-shot fic for Fairy Tail and ended up juggling both. College hasn't been very nice to my schedule of writing lately but don't worry, I'm already done with chapter 10 (*thumbs up*). R&R


	10. Chapter 10

Today is the day you'll be facing the new kind of Hollow in Rukongai. You're not really up to seeing Rukongai at the moment but you have no choice, there is a mission to finish. Since it's the day of the mission, you have the rest of the hours to relax your body and to mentally prepare yourself. You sat down at you secret spot in the barracks and looked at the sky, _'I hope everything goes well. But I got Captain and the Lieutenant! I'm sure they can finish it in no time!'_ you nodded.

"Oh, Koizumi! What are you doing here?" Rukia approached you and sat down. She has been visiting the barracks from time to time, sometimes she would make tea for you and Renji. You enjoyed the time you spent with them, it makes you feel that you're not all alone in this world.

You scooted away for a fraction to make space, "Hello, I'm just resting. Gotta prepare myself for the mission later in the evening." Silence then engulfed the two of you but it wasn't the awkward silence, in fact, it's the type of silence that calms you.

Rukia breaks the silence, "Ne, can I tell you something?" You nodded in response.

The other shinigami sighed, "This is gonna sound weird but…" You waited patiently for her to continue. You felt that this was a long talk and decided to speak later.

"The first time I heard your name, I thought it was weird."

You can't help but frown. She quickly added, "Oh no, that's not what I meant. I just ̶ I haven't heard that name for a long time. You could say that that name is very close to my heart." Rukia places her hand on her heart as a chilly wind blows past the both of you.

"May I know who I shared the name with?"

"She's my sister… but," Rukia looked sad as she remembered something from long ago, "she died decades ago. She got sick looking for me… but then Nii-sama found me and adopted me."

Your eyes widened. You've heard this before, that name: Hisana… Hisana Kuchiki. You racked your brain as you tried to remember what Zetsubou told you the first time you met him. She wanted to see her husband so badly but then got cursed with solitude. A lady. Lady Hisana. A Kuchiki.

' _A Kuchiki. Kuchiki!'_

You heard Rukia calling to you, "Are you okay? You've gotten quite all of a sudden. I'm sorry if I offended you."

You composed yourself again, took deep breaths and asked, "Your sister, is she… is she ̶ ," you gulped, "related to Captain?"

Rukia smiled sadly, "She was Nii-sama's wife. She died right in front of him, it must have deeply wounded him… seeing his wife wither away."

You quickly stood up. You didn't know you were _this_ close to the ones who were connected to the soul who brought upon your curse. _'Why haven't I noticed it?! It was there right in front of me!'_ You felt Rukia stand as well, asking if everything is okay.

' _No, nothing is okay. I'm practically not okay right now that my head hurts.'_ But you faked it, you don't want Rukia to notice so you quickly did a thumbs-up, showing her that you're fine. You explained that you shouldn't be talking about things that will make you sad and that you should just smile and honor their memories. Rukia seemed to buy your façade, "You're right, Koizumi. We can't let the pass haunt us."

You said your goodbyes and left your secret spot. You need to clear out the thoughts that bothered your mind. _'How can I forget?! I must be so blind that I didn't even payed attention to their surnames!'_

You ended up sitting in a corner; you let yourself breathe fresh air. _'That voice I heard before, it must have been Lady Hisana, and the feelings I always felt must've been caused by her whenever I see Captain.'_ You recalled the moment you saw some of her memories, the one time when you can hear your captain calling her name. You closed your eyes as you tried to access some of the memories again; you're trying to look into her past.

 _Hisana was close to collapsing from exhaustion but she didn't let it bother her for the sake of finding her sister. She knew it was her fault for leaving her sister behind, if only she had been capable of keeping them both alive together. She was running, looking at every corner. She wasn't looking straight and accidentally bumped into someone. Gray eyes stared at her; their eyes momentarily locked as they stared at each other._

You suddenly opened your eyes and inhaled a huge amount of air. You caught a glimpse of memory, but it wasn't enough to tell you something other than the fact that that was the first time Lady Hisana and your captain met. The sky was a mix of orange and blue hues as the sun sets; you think to yourself that this shouldn't be the time to ponder about other things.

* * *

The three of you were hidden amongst the trees of the forest of Rukongai, waiting for the right time to attack the evolved Hollow. You were completely distracted and got scolded by your captain several times, but you refused to look at him, telling him that you were thinking of ways to attack the enemy. You couldn't look at the Kuchiki because you weren't sure whether you really have the right to look at him now.

"Taicho! There is some movement up ahead of us!" Renji pointed towards the shuffling branches of the trees. He had his zanpakuto drawn, itching for some fight.

Byakuya was quick on the move, "Let's go."

You shake your head hoping that it would clear your mind, and you then followed your officers. Upon approaching the hollow, you thought you could attack it with kido first but then you remembered you sucked at kido. You were hurrying to get this mission done so that you could cover yourself up with your blanket at home and leave yourself pondering about the other soul inside of you.

"Oi, Koizumi! Watch out!" Renji shouted so loudly that the hollow also turned its head to look at him. You were going to collide with one of its captured soul.

"SHIT!" you cursed, but a flurry of cherry blossoms flew past you and hits the soul. You landed and watched the scene, shocked but at the same time entranced by the beauty of the petals. The hollow roared as one of the souls he controlled dissipated upon impact. Your captain looked at you like he was gonna kill you himself, "Don't get in the way," you gulped.

The other soul rushes to attack you, _'That's a member of the 2_ _nd_ _squad!'_ you draw out Zetsubou and prepared yourself to clash swords with him, but he quickly disappeared only to reappear behind you. You anticipated that and blocked it with your sword. Your officers were the ones fighting the hollow, so you were left alone to finish this soul.

It kept raining attacks on you, and all you could do was defend with your sword. You were waiting for the perfect timing and opening so that you could burn him. Your time spent training in the barracks helped you become quite a master at handling zanpakutos. The soul raised its katana high, _'There!'_ You gripped your sword with two hands, Zetsubou automatically exploded with flames, and sliced the soul. The soul evaporated into thin air, _'Gotta go help the captain.'_

" _Yes, help… help him._ "

' _That voice!'_ you looked around but again, no one's there. This was no time to be mulling around over a voice so you quickly rushed to aid your superiors. The hollow was thrashing around like it was angry that the souls it got was defeated easily.

Renji was panting, "This one's got tough skin!" Byakuya was just glaring daggers at the Hollow but then he spoke, "Attack its head, it may be vulnerable than the other parts of its body."

You and Renji nodded. You were carefully observing the movements of the Hollow, trying to see an opening but Renji has other plans. He was quick to approach the Hollow and was ready to strike his zanpakuto, "Growl, Zabimaru!" His sword extended and hit the mask connected to the hollow's face.

"I got you now!" Renji was sure he had victory but then he realized that Zabimaru was stuck in the hollow's mask. The hollow grabbed the sword along with Renji, captured him in a tight grip and threw him in the ground with such force. Renji coughed out blood as he lay there in the ground, wincing at the pain.

"Lieutenant!" You shouted as you were heading towards him; Byakuya was busy getting the attention of the hollow away from Renji but it wasn't working. The hollow produced a spear in its hand and prepares to strike at Renji. The spear was covered with strange markings on paper and its tip was broken so it wasn't sharp. _'But it's still deadly! Or worse he might get his soul!'_

You manage to get in time to meet the spear. There was so much force in the throw that it was pushing you back. Your hands were shaking as you try to stop it from going any further. The hollow was open for any attacks as it completely forgot the other shinigami behind its back. Byakuya commanded all the sakura petals to rain down on the enemy, it swirled around it as the hollow clawed its way to escape but it was trapped. The petals kept slicing him until the hollow can no longer take it and was force to fall on the ground with a thud.

But Byakuya was too late on defeating the hollow.

Renji called your name, "Koizumi!" You made a mistake shifting your zanpakuto to the right, thinking that would lessen the force of the spear, but the spear was heading left. Your eyes widened as you felt the pierce of its tip. The spear penetrated your heart but as it made contact it dissipated; you fall down to your knees with your head down.

Byakuya hurried to your side to see the damage. He kneeled to see if there was still life in you and gently grabbed your shoulders; he was shocked to see the face that greeted him. His eyes were wide and his heartbeat quickened.

"Hisana…?!"

He thought that maybe the moonlight was doing tricks on him. Her hair was long but that trademark bangs in her face, that nose, that lips, only belonged to her. The body he was holding was his subordinate, he was sure of it. Was it part of Hollow's powers?

Hisana's eyes fluttered open, and Byakuya felt like crying when he saw violet irises stare at him. He didn't care if it was a trick, he was seeing his wife again after decades. Renji was standing like a statue, watching the scene unfold before him; he knew this wasn't right.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hi again :D I'll try updating chapter 12 before the year ends, consider it my gift for Christmas as well hahaha. Happy holidays to you guys! To lizy2000, happy Christmas to you as well**

Hisana smiled, her eyes gleamed with unshed tears. For over 100 years and beyond, she never imagined seeing her husband again, _to be in her husband's arms again_. She embraced him tight, knowing that her time appearing here is short. Byakuya didn't know that of course, but for now she would cherish this moment given to her.

Byakuya's emotionless face broke, and he seemed at a loss for words for once. She was dead; she died the same moment the sakura trees were swaying in spring. But Byakuya could see her clearly with his own eyes, this was indeed his wife. She broke away from the embrace and stared at Byakuya's face; his features are all etched in her memory. She traced his jaw before cupping his face with her hands.

"Byakuya-sama… Oh how long I have wished for this moment." Hisana smiled.

Byakuya's eyes softened at the familiar voice, "I never thought I'd see you again."

Yes, that was what Hisana thought so too. Her soul cried after she left him all alone; she went believing that it was her fault that Byakuya became cold and expressionless over the years, closing his heart to anyone who tried to understand him. Her selfish wish led her to him, but it also led her and another soul to be cursed.

Hisana exhaled, closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against Byakuya's. "It is all because of my selfish wish that one is suffering."

"Byakuya-sama, I have something to tell you but our time together is short. I am thankful for the short time given to me to see you again, but the power of the hollow is already fading. I always love you, remember that, and I always think of you and my little sister. But…," she cried, "but this is all my fault, Byakuya-sama. Please… please don't forget about me. I- I can never be with you the same again…"

She began to glow as she hugged Byakuya again. "No! Don't disappear!"

She smiled sincerely. "Don't worry, I shall return to you, Byakuya." Byakuya had to close his eyes as the light became increasingly bright. When the light had died down, he quickly looked to see if she was still there but before he could see, you already scooted away from him with a scared look on your face.

Byakuya looked at you with confusion; you appeared to want to say something but you stopped yourself. You knew what was happening the whole time Lady Hisana took over your body the moment the spear pierced you. You watched in your own little world how slowly your captain's face broke out with emotions. You knew Byakuya needed an explanation, but you don't even know how to explain the whole situation to him. You just stared at each other the whole time.

Renji broke out the silence, "Uhh, what in the hell happened?"

You tried speaking but all you could say was 'uh', 'ah', and a whole lot of stutters. Byakuya's gaze never wavered, and he kept staring at you. At some time point, he got his composure back and settled for a glare, "Koizumi, if this is some sick joke you want to pull on me I-"

"NO! This is not a joke!" You raise your hands in defense. " _This_ is not a joke."

"Then _how_ will you explain this to me?!" His voice was bordering shouting but he kept it in a minimum. You can feel the shift of his spiritual pressure as it rises. How can you explain the whole thing? Would he believed that his beloved brought upon the curse on you? Would he listen if he told you that you share the soul with her? Can he take it if you said that you are her and she is you? Even you have trouble believing this before. You frowned, knowing that explaining this now would be futile especially after the memory of his wife appearing again might still be vividly playing on his mind. You should let him take it all in at the moment before telling him about yourself.

"Well?!"

"Sir, I'm afraid that I can't tell you this as of now. I'll explain everything tomorrow, please be patient. We have to report this mission first. Prioritize it first, right?" You could only bow your head; you wished that he say yes.

Renji joined in, "Taicho, I know it must be hard but, I think it she's right."

Byakuya continued to glare, and you could feel the coldness of the evening air even more. He stood up after a while; his voice was back to being monotonous as he spoke, "Let's head back."

* * *

The sun blasted on your windows and into your face. You didn't slept well and you kept on tossing over on your bed; you can't get but feel like you blew everything before you even started explaining. You tried convincing yourself that it was for the best, but then what? Would your captain still let you be in his squad? Will people still accept you? Are they gonna banish you from Soul Society?

You ruffled your hair even more, frustrated that thinking about this won't get you anywhere unless you explain everything. Last night, you tried to access Lady Hisana's memories again but the scene where she saw Byakuya again kept repeating over and over until you felt a headache forming in your temples.

You drag your body to Squad 6, you looked more unapproachable than before; your eyes was darker than usual, your brows meeting in a deep frown, and your lips was pressed in a tight line. The members scurry away the moment they see your aura, afraid that you might burn them with your sword. Your anger is well known among the members and even the officers (especially if you only had a few hours of sleep or when hungry, you'll lose your temper quickly); you've been reprimanded more than once to keep your cool but you always end up glaring at people, threatening them that you'll behead them if they get on your nerves.

This time when you reached the office of your captain, you didn't hesitated to knock. You were too tired to stall this off any longer, and whatever awaits, you just have to accept it. Byakuya was back to normal, his face completely devoid of any emotion but his eyes betrayed him. Anger swelled in those gray irises of his. And it seems that his emotionless face has been finally rubbing off on you.

Even your voice was monotonous, "Good morning, captain."

"Explain yourself." He completely disregarded your greeting.

You took a deep breath before telling him the whole story. How your other zanpakuto told the reason why you can handle another zanpakuto, that there's another soul residing within you, that it was Lady Hisana's wish to see you again but ended up cursing her soul and yours, why you called his name before, and the memories you have seen. Byakuya listened intently, he never spoke throughout the whole story. When you finished revealing the whole thing you know, he doesn't look like he's convinced at all. _Not. Even. One. Bit._ Your frown was already deepening.

"You think I'm lying don't you, Captain?"

"You say that this is all her fault?" His glare increased tenfold. If looks could kill, you would have already died.

You snapped at him, "I didn't say that!"

"You are implying it. Do you think that she would be able to commit such an act of cursing you? How dare you say that?!" your captain countered. You rolled your eyes at him, and he clearly didn't liked that. "Do you think you could act that way to your superior?!"

You could feel a headache coming. Oh, how your blood boils right now, " _Sir_ , I SAID that it was the GODS that cursed HER but then she merged with my soul. So I am BOUNDED by the same curse as HERS. I am NOT accusing her, and EVEN IF I DID, it wouldn't change anything. _Sir._ "

He was ready to retort again but your patience has already reached its limit, so you quickly raised your index finger to shush him. "Goddamn, sir! Have you thought about how I might feel by all this?! If I would be given the chance then I would chose death if that was to free Lady Hisana's soul so she could visit you freely! BUT I CAN'T! I would've joined Sora that day but I didn't!"

"I'm afraid of what might happened! It isn't easy knowing that you're bound by a curse, and that I would never feel the happiness of someone feeling affection for me because I'm fated to be alone, but did you ever see me crying about it?! You didn't right? Because I believed that I can still do something about it, that I can change it. But you! You- You think of it as a lie! What kind of benefit would I get by lying to all this?!" You laid out your hand to fix your point.

You hadn't notice that your reiatsu was spiking high, and you calm yourself to try and settle it down. At the moment, you didn't care if your captain dismissed you from his squad because that was what you're hoping for.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Long chapter is long (this chap reached up to 3,000 words). Here is chapter 12 as promised! :D**

Never in your life have you felt more than crap in no less than 24hrs. You didn't wait for your captain to respond to your retort, thinking that it would be futile considering how adamant he was that you were lying, even if you aren't. You're walking fast, taking longer strides with each step; squad members gave you funny looks but once you glared at them, they all looked away. You bumped into more than two members, never caring if it was a seated officer. But once you collided face to face with a broad chest, you halted.

"MOVE YOUR- CRAP." You sighed loudly, annoyed that your lieutenant was standing in the way.

Renji crossed his arms in an act of superiority. He knew why you're like this, and he can guarantee that your talk with the captain didn't go well as expected. "Do you want to talk about it?"

You glared daggers at him, "Hell no." You moved to his left to continue walking but he blocked you, and the look on his face started to irritate you even more. "Do you want me to punch your face? Because this is how you get me to punch your face."

"Woah there. Are you challenging me?" Renji found all this amusing. No one in the squad has the power to stand against him, this is new to him and he's enjoying it. He might as well _try_ minimizing your reiatsu by a notch. Besides, he looks forward to fighting with you one on one.

You grunted as your patience snapped yet again and your spiritual pressure increases. You caught your lieutenant in a surprise as you grabbed his shihakusho and flashed stepped to the training hall. Several members scattered away from the place as they felt your dangerous aura. You dropped Renji hard on the floor.

You drew out your zanpakuto, "You better leave me alone after this."

Some members started gathering outside, interested to see how this fight would turn out. They kept a safe distance away from the place just in case. Renji's grin, if possible, spread even wider. He released Zabimaru without hesitation and charged without warning. You deftly blocked the attack. For some reason, your mind was always different when you fight with wrath, like nothing ever mattered to you other than defeating the enemy in front of you. Fighting came like a second nature to you when you're angry and it helped you released it. There was a dark glint in your sharp eyes, Renji noticed it but it never wavered his excitement.

You gripped your zanpakuto tightly making your knuckles white. Your jaw clenched and Zetsubou automatically bursted into flames. Spectators that have gathered outside the hall shrieked in fear because of the heat engulfing them. You didn't care if the whole of Soul Society came crashing in to your fight right now, you'd gladly fight them.

Renji's sweating profusely. As in sweating enough to fill a bucket; the heat is unbearable like the Head Captain's Ryujin Jakka but this one's different. Every flame emitted on your zanpakuto would reflect what you felt the moment you released it; right now, Renji's sure that the only thing he could sense in your flames was anger. He retreated to a corner and used Zabimaru's reach to attack you. He twisted his zanpakuto to shift the sword into different angles. You didn't have time to move; one wrong move now would clearly wound you as you're surrounded by his zanpakuto.

Renji sounded like a winner already, "This is what happens when you're too reckless." He gave Zabimaru a tug as it enclosed around you like a ball. But you aren't having any of that, you swing your sword and the flames burned everything it touches. You point your sword at Renji, ready to wrap this thing up but a gloved hand stopped you and a stronger reiatsu pushed back some of yours. Shocked, as if you're snapped out of daze, you let your sword drop. You looked to see who stopped you, and you felt like getting angry again.

"Stop this instance." A steely voice echoed throughout the large hall; the members have long fled the area, leaving you, the lieutenant, and the captain. _'Shit!'_

Your eyes met. You snatched your hand away from him and retrieved your sword. You bowed to Renji before leaving the barracks in a hurry. You left. And it was obvious that you had better not return to Squad 6.

-090909090909

You sat at an eatery located in the 1st District of Rukongai; steam rises to your face because of the ramen in front of you. You recalled what happened earlier, you don't regret most of it but the fight between you and the lieutenant was baaaad. _'I shouldn't have than that. I should've settled for a punch in the face and left. But that would've been bad too.'_

You look at the reflection of yourself from the broth of the ramen. You stab at it violently with your chopsticks in frustration. Drops of soup fly away in different directions, and customers avoided meeting your gaze, afraid of what you might do to them. You sighed, covered your face with both hands and sunk yourself to your seat.

"Are you okay?" You peeked through the hands that covered your face. A guy is asking you if you're okay, and you stop yourself from saying _'Do I look freaking okay to you?'_ you can't see his face clearly, so you removed your hands. The bright orange hair the man has took you aback. You did a double-take for a while; and instead of answering his question, you asked him about his hair, "Is that really orange?"

You realized that it was rude to ask that to a stranger who seemed genuinely concerned about you, so you quickly said, "Never mind that. Looks good on you. And I'm fine, thank you mister." You did a thumbs-up to convince him along with a sloppy smile.

But the man didn't seem convinced and his frown deepened, "You're obviously lying."

"What if I am? I don't even know you so how can you-."

Rukia springs into view. You're eyes widen at the sight of her. If she finds out about what happened at the 6th. _'Oh my god! I can't see her right now. I forgot that they are nobles! Crap! I shouldn't have done that to captain. Stupid me! I just dug my own grave.'_ Throwing you out of Soul Society was the least they could do to you. You think.

"There you are!" She ran to his side, smacking him. "What are you doing here?! I kept looking all over the place, idiot!"

You turned your back to them, hoping that Rukia wouldn't notice you staring at nothing on the wall. You don't know if this is a good time to walk away silently.

"We have been looking _hours_ to a store that sells Chappy phone strap, and we've never seen one. Do you even remember where it was? I just went here to grab something to eat." Orange said, rubbing the part where Rukia hit him.

"That doesn't mean you can go wandering around without permission!" Rukia's eyes seem to catch your figure, but she doesn't recognize you. "Who is this, Ichigo?"

' _Ichigo? Strawberries? Really?'_

Ichigo scratched his head, he told Rukia that he didn't really know you, "She seemed bothered by something so I ask her if she's okay." Rukia snickered, "So you were hitting on a stranger? Pervert."

"I didn't said that!"

"Pervert."

Ichigo stomped his foot, "Why you midget!"

Rukia, on the other hand, rolled her sleeve, "Bring it on Strawberry!"

You rolled your eyes at their bickering, they were disturbing others with their shouting; some were already leaving. You can't let them bother the customers any longer, and you certainly don't want to cause a scene if the manager appears and decided to kick you all out of the ramen house. So you turned around, placed a bill on the table, linked arms with the two, and walked out of the ramen house. Ichigo didn't know what to do so he just followed you, Rukia called out to you but you ignored her. _'I can't be friends with her, not after what I've done to her brother and childhood friend.'_ You guided them to a secluded area, far from the bustling streets of the 1st District, and goaded them to continue their fight. The pair just blinked at you.

"I guessed you've cooled your heads now." You turned around, ready to leave them when Rukia grabbed your arm. You reeled back at her touch like the contact would burn your skin; Rukia was shocked at your action.

"Are you okay, Koizumi?"

"Funny, that was the same thing he asked." You pointed towards the guy named 'Ichigo'. "I'll say the same thing: I'm fine, thank you." You did another thumbs-up without a sloppy smile, instead you replaced it with a poker face.

Ichigo chimed in, "Then I'll you tell this again: you're obviously lying." _'What the hell is it with this guy? Why is he so persistent?'_ You regarded the look on his eyes, he's not lying with his concern even though you're a complete stranger to him, which is why you're failing to comprehend his care. Rukia's face was covered in worry and contemplation, she wants to comfort you but she doesn't know how.

Rukia spoke this time, "You can tell me your problem Koizumi. I won't judge." You took your time to think about her offer; you looked at the Strawberry, "What about him?"

"My name's Kurosaki Ichigo, a substitute Shinigami."

"Substitute Shinigami?" You tilted your head, "Never heard of that. I'm Koizumi Hisana."

"It's a long story. Nice to meet you." Ichigo turned to Rukia, "Hey Rukia, I'll leave you here for the meantime. You and your friend will need some privacy. See you later." He waved goodbye to the both of you. Rukia gave you her full attention as soon as Ichigo left. She stared hard, willing you to tell anything that burdens you.

You sighed, "Promise me you won't hate me after this." Rukia nodded.

-9090909090909

"EHHH?! You snapped at Nii-sama?" Rukia never knew anyone that can go against her brother other than Ichigo.

You gripped your head in terror, "Not only that, I fought with the lieutenant. They hate me now."

Rukia looked overhead as two birds passed by, she tried to think of a solution for you. She came up short since your explanation of the whole situation was incomplete and vague. She knew her brother wouldn't really harbor anger or revenge, and so does Renji. The only way she could think of was for you to say sorry to both guys.

"NO WAY. YOUR BROTHER WILL SKIN ME." It brought chills to your skin when you imagined your captain releasing Senbonzakura.

Rukia gave an immediate response, "Then go apologize to Renji first." To which you shook your head 'no'. "What did you even do to make them _that_ angry at you? I'm sure Nii-sama would feel disrespected but I don't think he's the type to plan out a revenge. Renji… well you know Renji, he's an idiot, but he's not someone who would disregard friendship."

You gave the ground an intent look; Rukia may be right, but with the situation you're in… Sure, maybe Renji would forgive you, but your captain's a different story. "I don't think you're ready for this, however, I think you still have the right to know. The real reason why your brother flipped out is…" you paused to look at Rukia for signs of any confusion or anger, "…Because of your sister. She's um- her soul is currently residing in me."

You stared at each other, blinking and blinking until Rukia gasped, realization dawning on her. You continued speaking, telling her what happened last night. You're taking a huge risk here, not only can Rukia lose her mind, she might even go off on you just like her brother. Hiding this won't do you any better, that's what you tell yourself, it would be better if you could just figure it all out by yourself instead of dragging people into your problem. When you finished telling her the same thing you said to your captain, you were surprised to see that she didn't even look angry, just shocked. She just whispered 'I see' then proceeded to grab your shoulders, you let her do so.

You left the busy streets of Rukongai and went back to Seireitei with her pulling you along. You shrieked when you realized where the both of you were heading; you shifted your weight so that you'd be heavier making Rukia unable to pull you. You could see the gates to the 6th Division; shouting, you asked Rukia why the both of you should go there.

"I told you, you just need to apologize. Don't be so stubborn!" You dodged her hand when she was about to drag you again.

"Didn't you understand me earlier?! I can't do that. Your brother hates me to infinity and beyond because I'm the reason why he can't see his wife! He's blaming me, I can feel it! I know you hate me now too so what's the point? Just let me be."

You expected her to snap back at you but all you received was a good smack in the head, you winced in pain. "Jeez! Where did you get that idea?! I don't hate you, and so does my brother and Renji. Sure, I was surprised but not angry. What you carry is a heavy burden; you didn't have a choice but to accept it. I know my sister didn't want this to happen," she offered you her hand, "but there's no there other way but to accept the truth. And as a friend, I should be helping you, not leaving you. Now, come on."

You gape at her words. She didn't doubt you nor did she thought that you were making up some story that included her dead sister, and instead, she chose to believe in you, along with the curse that you carry, that you could make your way through this. It felt like there was a heavy weight lifted in your heart, at least there was someone you could call a friend; you smiled at the thought. You took her hand firmly.

-090909

Byakuya looked up from his paperwork to focus on the two of you. Rukia barged in without even knocking; you were afraid that that might've been a bad idea considering how you already messed up earlier. You saw your captain open his mouth to say something but Rukia was faster, she fired out words without pausing like she already got this all planned out. You were glad that she was keeping a firm grip on you, because when she finished talking, your captain's glare was enough to make you run.

The room was engulfed in silence after that, no one spoke; the siblings did the talk through eye contact while you looked anywhere but the stoic captain. Rukia spoke first, "Nii-sama, it's not her fault."

You gently coaxed Rukia to calm down. Every time you look at her you can't help but be reminded of Hisana's face, she was the splitting image of her sister. Your captain must be having a hard time accepting this, and you berate yourself because of that. You closed your eyes, waiting for the verdict of being banish from Squad 6 for inconceivable accounts of dishonesty and impudence. _'If I were still a human, I wouldn't bother caring this much.'_

"I'm truly very sorry. For all the commotions I've done, all the words I've said, and all the mistakes I made, I'm sorry for all of it. I even got Rukia into this, I apologize. I'll accept any punishment you will give." You bowed. This was hopeless.

Finally, your captain spoke. His voice was laced with confusion, "Who are _you_?"

"I am… me?" You stood straight to meet his gaze, he stared straight at you. Even though this wasn't the right time to blush, you still did. But you never broke eye contact with him, you made sure he saw the honesty in your eyes. "I am me."

Maybe it was a trick of the light that his eyes softened for a moment before it recovered the same blank stare. "Then…"

-090909

A week has passed since then; you were still in squad 6 by some stroke of luck, and your captain forgave you. Renji was not even angry at you in the first place, "Huh? Why would I be angry at you?", you smiled at the memory, he was glad that you and the captain were in good terms again. Rukia was also happy; she was a big help, and you couldn't thank her enough. She told you that you could talk to her if you have any troubles bothering you. Meanwhile, your punishment was rather light if you would judge the severity of your actions.

" _Uh, assistant? Isn't that what Fukutaichō is already doing?" You asked._

 _Byakuya resumed signing the papers on his desk, "Abarai's skills in doing, arranging, and submitting paperwork is poor. It takes up extra time to scan his report."_

" _Oh, so I'm helping him with it?"_

" _No."_

 _Oh. "I'm helping you with it?" you point to yourself. "Does Lieutenant know this already? He may be offended about it."_

" _Yes, I informed him." Came the curt reply._

 _You shrugged, "Okay, sir. When do I start?"_

"Koizumi."

A deep voice startled you, you looked to the paper you were supposed to be examining to the one who called you. "Yes, captain?" So now, you were here in his office, trying to figure out how to fix your lieutenant's reports.

The sun was setting down now; the rays hit the room in a somber glow, casting an orange shine behind your captain's back. ' _He looked like he's been crowned with the sun illuminating on his back_ ', you thought.

"You can depart from your duty. Leave it for tomorrow." You considered his offer then you looked at the piles of paper on your captain's desk. You have nothing else to do at home so you decided to stay and get this punishment over with.

"It's fine, I can still finish this."

-09090909

It was night already when Byakuya finished finalizing all the reports on his desk. The squad was quiet now; occasionally he would hear someone's footstep pass by his office, telling him that some members have yet to go home. This kind of work isn't new for the Kuchiki; he can't remember how many times was it that he had to stay this long to finish work.

Today, paperwork was completed faster, and he didn't have to deal with Abarai's narrative too longer. He didn't expect you to perform your duties efficiently for he predicted that you would get tired easily and would just leave.

But he looked at you from the corner of his eyes when you worked. You gave your undivided attention to whatever report you were holding, determined to finish reading every single one of it. Whenever you had a hard time understanding something, you wouldn't ask for help; you'd simply frown and mouthed 'what is this?'.

Byakuya stilled in his chair; this kind of characteristic is unbecoming of a Kuchiki. He was distracted, but he wouldn't admit that. It was strange to be in the same room with someone who had his wife's soul. Even stranger when Byakuya kept on seeking out traits from you that you might have inherited from his wife.

He looked at you again. You were holding a piece of paper too close to your face, your head resting on the chair; Byakuya was sure you wouldn't be able to read anything in the paper with that kind of proximity. He can't tell whether you're concentrating or reading.

He called out, "Koizumi." No response.

He called again, this time his voice reverberated in his office. Still, no response from you. If this was your way of ignoring him, then you were doing a pretty good job. The noble stood up without even making a noise, and walked to your table.

Surprised by how adamant you are on ignoring him, he threatened you with another punishment. He sighed and muttered to himself, "I'm like a child who demands attention." You didn't move, save for the rise and fall of your chest. Byakuya made an attempt to shake you but stopped himself in doing so.

He slowly took the paper that was hiding your face; he was greeted with you sleeping soundly. Byakuya placed the paper back on the desk seeing that you finished most of the report. He can't help but stare back at you; he was puzzled. In a way, he was looking straight at his wife but at the same time, he was also looking at you.

He brought his hand to your face to brush a lock of hair, you unconsciously fidgeted from the touch before settling in your sleep again. You murmured something in your sleep. Byakuya, against all odds, decided to lean closer to you so that he can hear what you were saying.

He smelled lavender on you, and he instantly relaxed in the familiarity of that smell. The smell of his late wife. He patiently waited for you to speak again; and when he did heard you, he didn't know whether to smile or be confused.

"Be happy, Bya…kuya."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks to those who have followed/favorited the fic *cheers*. Here's chapter 13 for you guys!**

It was a rather humid day again in Soul Society, but that didn't stop members of Squad 6 to witness one of the greatest sparing sessions they might ever see. It was customary that every month they would hold a general sparring assembly in the barracks. Squad 6 members always looked forward to one thing: the joust between their captain and lieutenant.

The training hall was, once again, crowded with spectators with you being one of them. Excitement could be felt in the air; no one was at their office doing work, everyone was all here to see the action. Both Renji and Byakuya were already at the center of the crowd; Byakuya had his eyes close while Renji was doing his warm-ups. You were new to this tradition so you can't help but feel eager in seeing them battle it out.

"I wonder what's gonna happen this time." A squad member asked his companion.

Another member chimed in. "Last time, Abarai-Fukutaichō got his ass handed down by Taichō. It was really a good fight, but Captain always got the edge."

The man laughed, "Maybe Lieutenant's gonna use his Bankai again! That'll be freaking awesome!"

"No way, man. We'll have to get the training hall fixed again."

Now this got you really curious. You haven't seen anyone use Bankai in Soul Society, you don't even have one even if you controlled two swords. It's known that Bankai is a Shinigami's trump card; it sky rockets you're reiatsu and overall performance in battle. You both knew how their released zanpakuto looked like, but seeing how they activate their Bankai is a whole new level.

' _I wonder how mine would look like.'_ You thought while you touched Aoi Fushigi's hilt.

Before you can start imagining how your Bankai would turn out to be, cheers erupted inside the training hall as both officers took their stance. Excitement welled up inside you; others gulped, some are speechless.

Renji holds out Zabimaru, "This time is different Taichō. I got some new killer moves!"

Byakuya brushed the declaration aside, and unsheathed Senbonzakura. "We'll see about that, Abarai." Then in a flash, he disappeared.

Your eyes widened at the speed your captain exhibited; it wasn't something that can be easily catch by eye movements. Abarai was startled, but he quickly dodged before Senbonzakura's blade slashed him. He hurled Zabimaru towards Byakuya, twisting and turning the hilt of the sword to make contact but Byakuya was too fast for Renji's heavy movements. The stoic captain was quick to advance towards his opponent; he was instantly close enough to strike Renji. But to all's amusement, Renji grinned.

Zabimaru bursted from beneath Byakuya; the captain blocked the sword while trying to maintain not being pushed backwards. Renji coiled his zanpakuto again, wrapping it around the noble. _'That's what he did to me last time.'_ You were sure that your captain would sustain some kind of injury from that attack. Everybody stood still in anticipation; breaths held still.

Cherry blossoms exploded in the hall, swirling around the unscathed captain. The audience was awe stricken, and their mouths ajar; you can't keep yourself from gasping from shock. _'Woah. Just woah!'_

"I knew that wouldn't hurt you, Taichō." Renji teased, but still relieved. He steadied Zabimaru in his hand.

"Indeed; you have come close to victory, but not enough. I believe it's time to pay back the gesture." It seemed like you're in for another surprise judging from the faces of other members. Their eyes gleaming in anticipation; some of them shouting 'this is it!' or 'another win for the captain!'. You didn't know what they meant but, one word muttered from your captain was all it took for you to understand everything.

"Bankai."

* * *

You stared blankly at the food in front of you. You still can't wrap your head around your captain's awesome, beautiful, and powerful Bankai. You recalled the amount of sakura swords his Bankai produced, not to mention the control he had in each one of it; he didn't let Renji take the upper hand again. The amount of cherry blossoms that floated in the air was breathtaking, but at the same time, it was deadly and dangerous. You lost yourself in the pink storm; then it happened, a flash of Lady Hisana's memory came. One where she stood near a koi pond watching sakura petals fall down on her with your captain beside her, holding her firmly as if she'll collapse.

' _I guess her memories only appear when I see something connected to her.'_ You sighed.

"Do you have a problem again?"

You looked at the substitute shinigami. You were surprised to run into him again in Rukongai, "Nope, just thinking of something." You offered Ichigo some of the crackers you bought, to which he replied 'no, thanks'. He sat beside you quietly. "Are you ditching Rukia again?" You asked.

"I didn't ditch her last time. I was just hungry so I looked for food." He grumbled. You took your time looking at his face; you didn't get the chance to properly see him last time since you were busy thinking about Byakuya and Renji. Other than the fact that his hair is orange, he had brown colored eyes, and a tanned skin. A scowl is decorating his face, but he doesn't look threatening. You also noted that his spiritual reiatsu was leaking, you memorized it so you can recognize his signature when his far. Then suddenly, it occurred to you to ask him, "Are you strong, Subs?"

He raised his eyebrow. "Subs?"

"Shortcut for Substitute because it's too long. So, are you strong?" you munched on your crackers.

"You can call me Ichigo you know. I guess."

You pondered for a moment before answering. "I'll try. That's a vague answer; give me a concrete one."

His scowl was back in place, "What do you mean you'll try?"

"Just answer my question first." You scowled as well.

"Okay, I am." You noticed the huge sword strapped on his back. It was covered in bandages but it doesn't hide the power emanating from it.

You questioned him again, "Do you have a Bankai?"

He looked at you with hesitation but he still answered. "I do. Why?" _'WOAH. HE HAS A BANKAI!'_

Your eyes shined that Ichigo could literally see stars in them. "CAN YOU SHOW ME?"

* * *

Ichigo didn't really understood how he happened to be stuck in this situation. The look in your eyes told him that you weren't planning something suspicious but just plain curious and excited. He can't exactly say 'no' since he saw no harm in showing his Bankai. After contemplating, he reluctantly agreed to show you for some unknown reason. You rose from your sit, and grabbed his hand in delight. "THANK YOU!"

The both of you went to some isolated place where there aren't any people that would be harmed. After that sparring session in the sixth, it left you feeling amused at other Shinigami's Bankai; and internally, you also wished to know what your Bankai was. Would it be explosive? Would it be flashy or would it just be simple?

"Oi, Hisana. You're spacing out again." Ichigo called you out. He warned you that, in some cases where other Shinigamis would sense him release his Bankai, others may look for him and ask him for a fight. If that scenario were to happen, he asked you to flash step as fast as you can so that they wouldn't drag you into it. _'So he really is strong. No one would want to ask a fight to someone who's weak.'_

"Don't worry. Are you ready?" Excitement bubbled up inside you again. He nodded in response.

He pulled out his bandaged zanpakuto, and elevated it in front of him. He clutched it with both hands as he was starting to be covered in light blue aura. His reiatsu alone can garner him a position on Gotei, so you wondered why he was just a substitute shinigami. The atmosphere became heavy with his reiatsu, and you have to catch your breath to balance yourself. Then there it was, his Bankai. His huge sword was transformed into a black katana with chains hanging from its hilt, his shinigami uniform also changed; his upper garment now adorned long sleeves, and at the back, it transformed into somewhat a cape with its edge cut and jagged.

You took your time sensing and looking at Ichigo's change. _'He's strong, I can sense it.'_ You circled him, eyeing everything in detail.

Ichigo looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Oi, what are you doing?"

"You really are strong, you're practically emanating it. I wouldn't be shocked if some Shinigamis come asking you for fights." You nodded to yourself. Ichigo blushed at the compliment, and you laughed at him for being such shy-boy.

"So what can you do with your Bankai?"

Ichigo recounted all the things he can do before answering, "I guess I'm much faster in Bankai. Wanna see it?"

"Yeah, why not?" _'Is he faster than captain?'_

You blinked, and Ichigo was gone. Then it registered to you that your feet aren't touching the ground, and the wind seemed to be hitting your face too fast that it makes breathing a little bit difficult. Before you can even protest to him, he landed back to Rukongai and placed you down again. You were too stunned to say something.

' _HE'S SO FAST!'_ You thought that Ichigo's shunpo level in Bankai was incredible. Just like your Captain's.

"Sorry. I kinda surprised you a bit." You noticed that he reverted back to normal again except the fact that his reiatsu is still leaking.

"No way! That was awesome! I can't wait to know what my Bankai is. This whole Bankai thing got me energize to seek out my own. So, yeah thanks!" You smiled.

"You sure are weird; but you'll get your Bankai someday."

"How long did it take for you to get your Bankai?"

"Days?" He answered unsure.

Your eyes widened at this. DAYS? No one freaking masters their Bankai in days! "Are you kidding me?"

"It's a long story but, no, I'm not kidding." He scratched his head.

Before you could ask him more, an intimidating, heavy, and scary reiatsu made its presence in front of you. There stood proudly the Captain of the 11th Division; you can't help but jump to your feet when you saw him, he made you feel like an ant waiting to be stomped upon on. Ichigo seemed to tense beside you as well.

"Found ya, Ichigo! I've been itching for a good fight!" He laughed in a sinister way as he pulled out his zanpakuto, gearing for a fight. This was your cue to run the hell away from there.

* * *

You were lying on the floor of your room recalling today's events, or rather your Captain's and Ichigo's Bankai. Both of them are strong, unlike you who's a greenhorn at all things. You sighed defeatedly.

"You're thinking way too much again." Aoi Fushigi materialized next to you. Unlike the last time, you kind of expected her to be here so you weren't really surprised to see her again.

"Do you think I'll be able to achieve Bankai?"

You swore the room temperature dropped because of Aoi Fushigi's glare. You didn't said anything wrong, so there was no reason for her to glare like that.

"No."

The answer made you jolt up, and you copied the same glare she had on. "What is wrong with you?! I know I'm weak now, but I'll try my best to gain your powers!"

"I won't repeat myself. You're not having any Bankai so get that off your head." The female zanpakuto grew hostile by the second. You still don't get it; you can use your zanpakuto, materialize it, but you can't have Bankai? Why is that?

"Is this about me having 2 zanpakutos? Can't I just have one then? It's pretty funny to think that I have both of you but I can't achieve even one." You crossed your arms, daring Aoi Fushigi to answer you back.

"It doesn't matter, you're not having a Bankai."

A tick mark appeared in your forehead. "You-!"

You suddenly got the feeling of being pulled into your inner world. You let yourself fall in darkness, then after that, the view of the skyline reached your sight. No, the view of the waters. No, the view of the landscape. No, the view of your world. No, the view of your soul.

You landed on ankle deep waters, but you don't know whether to be amazed or to be shocked, so instead you frowned. You looked up at the sky again, and back down to the waters, scrutinizing the changes that happened in your inner world. The once crystal blue world you've come to know turned into something reddish-orangey-pinkish-bluish-violet-black; just like when light and dark fights to reign the sky when the sun is about to set.

But what's been tripping you is the reflection of the waters; waters are supposed to reflect anything but that isn't the case right now. Instead of reflecting you or the skies, it mirrored cherry blossoms.

Sakura petals. Thousands of it.

' _I swear I feel like I'm stoned or something.'_ You clasped your head as you tried to process everything again. You wanted a freaking explanation for all of this.

" _Hello, Hisana Koizumi. Welcome to your inner world."_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I decided to bold Aoi Fushigi's convo here so you guys won't be confused as to who's talking. This chapter would mostly be made up of dialogues, so… R &R please?**

"What in the world is happening here?!"

" _Are you not happy with the changes? You should visit here more often."_ Zetsubou glided to your side in his complete mysterious regalia. _"You're having such an interesting conversation with Aoi Fushigi; I can't help but join so I pulled you hear."_

"Well, yeah it _is_ beautiful." You looked at the mirrored petals again, "BUT what the heck?! When did it changed?! How did it changed?! No one told me my world's under renovation!"

Aoi Fushigi settled on the side where there was more light; Zetsubou went to the darker side. The way the colors separated the two of them made you felt like they were two sides of a coin. Aoi Fushigi was bright, supportive, and cool and yet she can be aggressive and strong whereas Zetsubou was mysterious, shady, and eccentric who only desired to feel light.

But here they are, divided by colors that defines them.

Aoi Fushigi's glare was gone, she replaced it with a poker face. **"Calm down, Master. We'll explain everything."**

" _You asked when it changed, the answer to that is the moment you acquired my powers. As for how…"_

" **It happened naturally; just like when you mix two different colors, it blends in with the other."**

"Then what are these cherry blossoms doing here? I don't remember the two of you being the flower-type." You pointed to the waters.

Zetsubou answered, _"You should know the answer to that by now, Hisana."_

Just the sound of your name made you remember the other soul you carry. Of course, how could you forget about her? You have the same name same as hers. Her soul must've imprinted itself in your inner world the same time you met her husband thus the cherry blossom, because it's the closest thing associated to Byakuya. It's the memory that she cherished over and over again.

" _Did you somehow forgot about your curse?"_ Zetsubou tilted his head in question.

You shook your head. "No, I didn't. I'm very well aware of it." Sora and Taro's face flashbacked; you can't help but think that they died because of your curse.

" **This wouldn't have happened if** _ **you**_ **never happened."** Aoi Fushigi pinned her words on the bandage-clad zanpakuto spirit.

" _You cannot undo what has been done."_ Then he returned back to you again, _"I recall you were talking about reaching Bankai earlier. Do you want to have it?"_

And just like that, Aoi Fushigi was back to hostile mode again. A switch would turn on in her brain that would make her cringe automatically when the word 'Bankai' reaches her ears. She turned to Zetsubou, who doesn't even give a fuck even if she's already killing him with glares. He just shrunk in further in his hoodie like he doesn't want to see her.

" **You know full well that she can't have it."**

" _Oh? But she can."_

" _ **NO."**_

" _Are you afraid?"_

" **Of you? Why would I be afraid of someone who looks like he's dressed to hide himself away?"** It was Zetsubou's turn to glare at Aoi Fushigi.

"Okay, stop it the two of you. Hey Aoi, what is it about Bankai that makes you agitated? I mean, where's the harm in achieving Bankai?" Well you do know that to achieve Bankai, you have to fight with your zanpakuto spirit. If you proved yourself worthy of their trust and power, they'll lay everything down for you to use at your will. It is a bond that they have entrusted you to cherish and hold. Although it isn't right to rush them and yourself about having a Bankai, you can't help but be curious with all the fiasco earlier. You haven't even fully mastered Zetsubou's shikai; but it's not bad to dream about having a Bankai right?

Aoi Fushigi didn't answer your question, she just looked down at her feet or the petals surrounding the waters. She didn't look angry; she looked like she was hiding something.

"What is it?"

" _Allow me to-"_

She didn't allow Zetsubou to continue speaking, **"It's dangerous for you to achieve Bankai because you're storing two zanpakutos. It will create too much of an imbalance in your soul. Besides… you're not ready for that yet."**

"But I have Lady Hisana's soul in me right? Can't I just have one?" You asked, hopeful that you would still have a shot of attaining a trump card.

Aoi Fushigi frowned, **"You can't. Don't even bring up that lady's name."**

' _Damn! Am I supposed to be forever weak?!'_ You can't bear the thought of having to rely to everyone to save your ass every time that you're in trouble. "How can I not bring that name up?! I have the same name as hers! If you're not telling me, I just gotta ask Zetsubou here!" You're being childish, you knew that, but with Aoi Fushigi's unyielding attitude, you might as well talk about the same thing over and over again without reaching a conclusion.

You looked at Zetsubou, he had change since the last time you talk to him. The depressing aura he carried around lessened; though he still tends to look broody, he still tries to come out of his shell. _'I remember him asking me for light before. Am I giving him some of it? Anyway, it's a good thing, but the both of them could at least get along.'_

" _Would you like to know the truth?"_ Zetsubou vanished only to reappear behind you; you stood still on your place. Aoi Fushigi's glare trained on you; the sharpness of her eyes made you shiver.

You answered. "Of course."

" _The truth may hurt you."_ Zetsubou went in front of you, shielding you from your other zanpakuto's seething anger. He looked straight into you, just like the time he told you about the damned life you were heading straight into. This time though, he isn't condescending. He may have made you feel like you want to punch the living daylights out of him, but now, he's just a zanpakuto who wanted to feel the presence of another.

You replied nonchalantly. "I _have_ been hurt by the truth before. The least I could do was learn to handle it."

" **Don't even dare suggest her anything!"** Aoi Fushigi rushed to Zetsubou with her blade; the blade glinted in the lighting of the world, illuminating the hues above. Zetsubou was quick to get out of the way, and summoned his sword as well. _"What a hot-blooded woman."_

"You two are getting on my nerves! Stop it! Where's the harm in explaining things without resorting to violence?!" You grabbed them both by the ears; they both swatted your hand away, looking like children who got reprimanded by their parents.

Zetsubou fixed his hoodie before he spoke. _"It's as what the temperamental woman said, it would be nearly impossible for you to achieve Bankai."_ He paused and looked at you again, _"But there is a way to obtain it…"_ His voice sounded grave like the next thing he says would be bad news.

"What way?"

" **I don't want you to make that kind of choice."**

"What choice?!"

" _If you are insistent on having a Bankai, you should kill one of us."_ Zetsubou jabbed his blade on the ankle deep waters, Aoi Fushigi did the same while dreading that this conversation happened.

You were scared to think that to attain Bankai, you would have to kill one of your zanpakutos. It never crossed your mind that this would be too dangerous not only for you but also for them, for one of them could disappear. You looked at the both of them, gauging their reactions, but only Zetsubou has the will to look you in the face. "You know I can't do that to the both of you! I don't care about Bankai, let's just forget that this conversation ever happened."

" **Agreed."**

" _But you will have to make a decision."_

"I'm not making any decision that involves getting one of you killed." You looked at the blades. _'I won't push this if it costs them their lives.'_

" _Then_ you _won't."_ Zetsubou answered strangely. You didn't get the implication so you never thought anything about it.

" **I won't let** _ **her**_ **do anything** _ **."**_ Aoi Fushigi seemed to understand what he said because she was back to glaring daggers at the male spirit.

But you leave them at that, you would have to figure this thing out for the next time.

* * *

(Your inner world)

" _It's such a shame that your master would never get to witness what your Bankai is."_ Zetsubou looked at the darkened sky on his side. His voice was cold, but it was also sad.

" **Do you think I'll go down without a fight?! How dare you do this to master!"** Aoi Fushigi was red with anger. The graceful features of her face contorts with dread and regret. She should've killed him the moment she felt his presence, then this whole mess wouldn't have occurred, and you wouldn't have to go through hardships and losses.

" _It was a mistake for her to call to me but… her voice threw away any hesitation I had, thus I answered."_

" **Don't pin this on her! You weren't hers in the first place!"**

Above the two spirits was the color-divided skies, and what Aoi Fushigi doesn't notice was that the dark was overcoming the other colors in its way. It inched its way closer, engulfing the hues with darkness; there were no stars in the darkness, it was only pitch black. The light cannot fight the onslaught of the night.

" _You're correct about that, but she will be ours. If she fails to make a simple decision, then MY master will make it herself."_

Aoi Fushigi spat out the words with venom. **"I'll kill her before that happens."**

" _No, Lady Hisana will kill you before it happens. No one will get in her way of returning back to the stoic captain, not even Hisana Koizumi."_

The strong smell of the sakura blossoms permeating the air made Aoi Fushigi dizzy. She struggled keeping her eyes locked on the traitorous zanpakuto. **"A twisted person like her does not deserve to be called a 'lady'."**

" _Your master is but merely a vessel. You dying here would bring my master's wishes one step closer to completion."_ Zetsubou draws out his blade again. Aoi Fushigi had to squint her eyes if she wanted to see where the spirit was; he completely blended well in the dark. Aoi Fushigi wanted to vomit, the strong whiff of the cherry blossoms on her feet was causing her to stagger. It doesn't matter though, she would die here fighting.

Because the only thing she ever wanted was to protect her master.

" _The time will come when I won't be needing her light anymore. Lady Hisana will take over her body, and fulfill her wishes. Lady Hisana will provide me with light so much brighter than Koizumi!"_ Zetsubou sounded deranged.

" **Finally showing your true colors huh; it's not like you have any other color than black. It suits you actually, made especially for a person like you."**

" _Secretive Blue right? Fitting for a person who keeps the problems to herself."_

Aoi Fushigi's reiatsu spiked dangerously. **"Koizumi Hisana, my master and friend, will not fall into your despair."**

Because Aoi Fushigi believes in you, and although it has only been for a short time, she enjoyed the company of having you as her master. She would've told you everything, she could've told you the abominations this monster was plotting, screamed out the words that the Lady in your soul was not the lady that once lived. That every time you used Zetsubou the more likely that Lady will take over you. She'll replace your memories with hers; take your identity and replace it with hers; and she gets to live the life that was supposed to be yours. She was slowly eating your existence away, and you didn't have any idea of it.

But she didn't whisper any word of it for she knew you'd be scared.

And now, everything is unfolding slowly and Aoi Fushigi is failing to protect you; the one thing she ever feared, that you would be left all alone and that no one would be there to save you. Aoi Fushigi brought a forlorn smile to her lips, she would turn back time if she could.

" _Bankai."_

Once you mix blue and gold and red, you'd never know what kind of color it would produce. But one thing is for sure, the color wouldn't be shining, it wouldn't be bright, and it wouldn't be recognizable. But once you put in much more red hues, red will overcome any color you'd put in, till red was the only thing that remained. Not a trace of blue nor gold.

When the night comes to settle, and the light fades, the only thing you can do is hope to see the light again.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys :D. Someone pm-ed me if I have any weekly patterns when it comes to updating; my answer would be none. I just update when I have a chapter finished, and when my internet speed is not making cry. Cheers!**

 _You're there standing on your inner world, looking up at the darkened heavens above you. Everything seemed to stand still, the only thing here was silence. Then you looked down at the waters where cherry blossoms are the only thing that illuminates this world of yours, but the light is faint unlike the blue world you once had with Aoi Fushi-_

 _Blue world? Since when did you have a blue world?_

 _Aoi? Who is Aoi?_

 _Why does it feel like you're forgetting something?_

 _A figure of a woman appeared meters away from you. Her back was facing you, and the only thing you could see is the white-blue hair flowing on her back; a huge blue ribbon of ropes decorating the garment of her attire. She was walking further and further away from you._

 _You got nervous. You don't know why you did. It felt like you are losing something important right there in front you, and you're not even doing anything to prevent that._

 _You took a miniscule step towards the figure, but each step you take took her farther away from you. You tried to shout but no voice would come out of your mouth. Everything you did was futile._

 _You dropped to your knees; the water rippled with it. You felt like crying because of your weakness. And if you continue being weak, it is inevitable that you will keep losing everything you treasured._

 _But you didn't understand. Why are you crying over some stranger slipping away from you? Then you got up; the figure was nothing more of a shadow now. You were going to run towards it. Catch it. You steadied yourself, making sure that you weren't gonna slip in the waters; but just when you were propelling yourself to run, a hand stopped you._

 _A lady, a very fragile looking one. Her violet eyes stared at you, 'Why are you running?' she said. No answer came from you, it was like you didn't know the reason why you were gonna run in the first place. As you seek out the answer to her question, the more the memory felt like a distant past away. No, not a distant past, but a memory that never really happened._

' _That's right. No one's there.' The lady said. You gripped your head tightly, a sharp pain shot through every nerve of your brain. You cringed at the pain. You didn't know though, that that pain is rewriting a memory you once knew. You want to keep holding on to it but you don't know how._

 _You were so busy trying to make the pain go away that you never noticed the changes of the lady standing in front of you. Cracks started appearing on the right side of her face, and her eye on the right side started going red._

 _In a garbled voice, she spoke again. 'I will return to Byakuya-sama.'_

You shot up on your bed, and in the process, you fell down. When you tried to remember what it was all about, nothing came up. You scanned your room; your eyes landed on your zanpakuto. You calmed down when you sensed that there's nothing wrong in particular. You have to get ready or else you'd be late; you don't want to hear your Captain's lecture first thing in the morning. You grabbed your zanpakuto, never questioning why you only had one now.

* * *

Byakuya's eyes run through the documents on his hands. Work today seemed to go as usual; no fights breaking out, no extra paperwork undone, and his tea is already set up on his desk. Byakuya took a deep breath, and resumed to finishing his and some of his lieutenants paperwork. That's when he felt it, a spiritual pressure urging him to go running down the corner to see who it belonged to.

Byakuya flash stepped out of his office and went near the training hall. He'd looked suspicious standing there if he weren't the captain of the 6th Division. He resisted the urge to rub his eyes, make sure that his vision is not tricking him, but there was just you, talking with some squad members. The reiatsu never changed, it was still clinging to him; what he can't understand is the reason why you have the same spiritual signature of his late wife.

The noble was at the top of the bunch in detecting and sensing reiatsu; he can never go wrong at this. This time though, he couldn't help but doubt his skills. During the course of your stay in Squad 6, he never felt your reiatsu shift to that of Hisana's; except for the time that Hisana took over your body during the extermination of the unique Hollow, but that was it. The moment you regained your senses, you were back to being 'you' again; no traces of Hisana left.

Kuchiki Byakuya was baffled by this. A problem the Kuchiki can't solve always left a bad taste in his mouth.

He looked at you again, trying to notice any changes that may have occurred to you. Appearance wise, you still looked the same to him; in characteristics, you still acted the way you are around people. The only thing left was to know if there was any changes with you internally.

Byakuya was about to leave his post when he stopped and noticed how one zanpakuto was missing from the strap around your waist. What's weird is that you don't seem bothered by the fact. You continue on being yourself, not even the slight bit worried.

' _Maybe she left it at home.'_ Byakuya thought to himself. Besides, missing or leaving one's zanpakuto does not make a person's spiritual pressure magically change.

But he can't help it. If Byakuya were to close his eyes, and focus on the reiatsu, he would see the image of his late wife returning to him. He can't let this slip by.

* * *

You were preparing to go home when you heard a knock on your office door. You opened it to reveal the lieutenant standing in the hallway; he had that stupid grin again, one where he looked like he was going to witness something funny.

"Captain called for you to go to his office. Did you do something outrageous again?"

"What makes you think that? I'm not the one leaving documents unfinished." You stuck your tongue out.

"He asked me a weird thing about you, you know." If possible, Renji's grin widened further. His eyes had a playful look in them.

You brushed his teasing aside. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe Captain has taken an interest in you. You never know…"

You punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Oh stop it, moron. You're getting my hopes up."

"OH! YOU LIKE TAICHŌ?! DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM?!" Renji pointed at you skeptically.

You flailed your hand around, trying to shoo away the idea. "NO! COULD YOU KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN?! SOMEONE MIGHT HEAR YOU AND GET THE WRONG IDEA."

"But you just said-"

"Abarai, I asked you to send Koizumi to my office, not delay her here." A steely voice cuts through the conversation you're having with Abarai, and you wished that captains of his calibre don't have special hearing skills. If in case your Captain heard anything, you're going to make sure that Renji's paper work would double. Renji quickly fixed himself, and cleared his throat. He bowed, and left without uttering a word; so there was just the two of you there standing in the hallway. _'Coward!'_

You cleared your throat as well. "I- I'm sorry for that Taichō. Should we get going now?"

"No need. If it wouldn't be rude to you, we might as well talk inside your office." Your captain remained indifferent; you let out a breath of relief at that.

You opened the doors to your humble office and let the stoic noble enter first. You were glad you kept the place neat and tidy; the files on your desk are arranged, and no crumbs of crackers are left on the floor. You quickly made some tea to offer to your visitor; your captain sat still, eyes closed. After you finished preparing tea, you handed him the warm cup. Your fingers brushed his hands in the process, and it took you every of ounce of control not to blush in front of your captain. Byakuya met your eyes; you averted yours.

You sat on the vacant chair in front of him, and composed yourself. "So what is this all about sir?"

Byakuya continued to stare at you, assessing any signs of change within you. Judging how Renji casually talked to you earlier, it would seem that he was the only one who noticed the change in your reiatsu. You didn't even seem to notice it yourself. Byakuya sipped some of his tea before asking, "I do not mean to pry but, is there anything going on inside you?"

You tilted your head to the side. That was some question you didn't expect your Captain to ask. "What do you mean? I feel normal if that's what you're going for."

"No, that's not what I meant." Byakuya sighed, he didn't know how to approach this predicament. Your spiritual pressure still emitted that of his late wife; his frown deepened as he decided to go straight to the point. "Your reiatsu. Did you change your reiatsu?"

"…No? Is there something wrong?"

"You have been releasing the same spiritual pressure like that of Hisana." Byakuya studied your face for any expression, but you weren't surprised about this for some reason.

You smiled at your Captain, "I don't know what you're talking about Captain. I've always been like this."

Byakuya felt a headache coming his way. This was wrong on many levels, and yet, you just shrug it off like it has been this way all this time. It seems like he was the only one who was noticing the changes; is it because of his past with Hisana? Is it because of you having the soul of his late wife? Byakuya drank his tea to clear his mind, but all it did was raise more questions in his head. He looked at you again, you were just calmly sipping your tea; never noticing the storm brewing inside Byakuya.

"Let me change the question. Why do you only have one of your zanpakuto?" This made you stop midway in setting back your tea on your desk. You slowly resumed in placing it back, and while doing so, you answered to him strangely.

"I only own ONE zanpakuto." Byakuya looked unsatisfied and shocked with your answer. There was this feeling inside of you that this wasn't the right answer as well. Then you repeated what you said, "I only have…one." Yet the more you repeat those words, the more your voice sounded so empty and unconvincing.

" _Zetsubou is all you have."_ A garbled voice spoke in your mind.

You doubled over at the pain pounding on your head. You clutched your head for dear life; you tried concentrating on other things to ignore the pain but nothing works. You want to remember something, but you don't know what.

Byakuya went to your side; your spiritual pressure suddenly spiked. Byakuya did not know what to make out of your reiatsu, it was all over the place, reaching and then disappearing. But when he placed a hand on your back to recede some of your abnormal reiatsu, it calmed down. You caught his hand; you gripped it tightly as your breathing returned to normal, your eyes closed.

"T- Taicho… tell me… there's something I'm forgetting here. There's something I need to remember, but I can't. You seemed… shocked when I told you I only have one zanpakuto."

Byakuya wouldn't have welcomed you touching his hands, he disregarded that thought though because it looked like you needed all the support you can reach your hands in to. You were leaning into his chest; his presence calmed the pain that attacked you. It's like being around him is where you should be. He hesitantly looped his other arm around you, keeping you secured.

"Taicho, what's happening to me?"

Before the noble can answer your question, loud siren alerts blasted across the Soul Society. Along with the announcement: "Unidentified Hollows have infiltrated Soul Society. Requesting for Captains and Lieutenants to exterminate the hollows.

Renji barged in at your office, "Taicho! There's an emergency!" Renji's eyes landed on your form then to his Captain. He knew he came at the wrong time, "Whoops. I can go if-"

Your captain gently released you in his embrace, and you quickly missed his warmth. He closed his eyes for a moment to get his bearings and spoke, "No, it's fine. Let's go Abarai."

Renji saluted jokingly and went on ahead; never missing a beat to send a wink at your direction. You quickly realized what Renji meant, and you blushed yet again, but this time, you didn't hide it from your Captain.

"Stay here." His voice echoed, he wasn't looking at you so you can't decide whether he's angry or not. He clutched his zanpakuto, and flashed stepped out of the barracks, out to fight these unidentified Hollows.

That's when the pain went back in full force. You dropped to your knees, trying hard not to scream and cause a commotion amidst all the chaos outside. You sucked in little oxygen to cater to your burning lungs; your vision started getting blurry, everything in the room looked swirly and unfocused. Something was pulling at you, you don't know what but there was definitely that sensation of firm hands gripping your shoulders.

You thought of your captain's hand; this may be the wrong moment to think about him but something about him makes you calm. You can't describe the feeling though, it felt like it was just part of something that was already set on stone.

 _"He's mine."_

When your vision started to regain focus, you were facing face to face with the woman who once captured the heart of your stoic captain.


	16. Chapter 16

"He's mine."

When your vision started to regain focus, you were facing face to face with the woman who once captured the heart of your stoic captain.

You stood up too quickly; you have to grab on to the arm rest to keep yourself from falling. Your eyes went wide; this wasn't a trick of the light. She was there, Lady Hisana was right in front of you. This was the first time you've ever seen her. Memories and flashbacks can't compare to the real deal in front of you.

"L-Lady… Hisana." Your said unsure. You want to leave, grab someone from down the hall to make sure you weren't going insane from the pain you had earlier. But other than say her name, you did nothing but stare at her the whole time.

"He's mine." She repeated.

You scrunched your eyebrow, a headache creeped onto your temples again. "Taichō..?"

"Yes. His heart only belongs to me." Her tone was empty, but even so, there was an underlying message there that was meant for you to leave her husband alone.

You answered defensively; sweat was forming on your hands. You were completely nervous about the change in the atmosphere of the room. "I'm not doing anything."

"I saw everything; I was there watching. You hugged him." There was something in her demeanor that you find wrong. For all the memories you have dug up from her, you could conclude that she wasn't _this_ cold. She was sick when she was alive, but that didn't deter her from being bright and determined. Her eyes gave nothing but a blank stare; completely different from what you saw from one of her memories before.

"No!- Yes. No. I mean, okay, it was a mistake. I didn't mean for it to happen." Then you remembered something. There was a purpose behind that hug: you wanted to know something from your captain. You wanted a memory. You quickly added, "I needed to know something from him, that's why I-"

"This is about your _other_ zanpakuto, yes?"

The headache intensified, "You- you know about it?"

She looked toward the teacup your captain used. "You only have one." She looked at you again, "Only one."

You abruptly felt like you were suffocating; her words kept repeating in your head, but that unsatisfied look on your captain's face stayed. Just like him, you were unconvinced by her answers. You inhaled large amounts of air, trying to distract yourself from looking directly from her eyes; something about them sucks you in.

Despite the trouble in breathing, you spoke. "You're lying; Captain..k-knows the truth. That looked on his face when I f-found myself doubtful of my answer proves that he… knows something."

"I am not lying." Her voice shifted into mild rage, and her shoulders tensed up; it made the hairs on the back of your neck stood up.

You found the nerve to look into her eyes, matching her intensity. "You are lying."

You quickly regretted trying to mock her. In a flash you were on your knees again, clawing at the arm rest to steady yourself from the dizzy vision you were having. Something gleamed but you don't know what it was. You registered the cold hand pressed hard on your neck as she lifted you from your position, lifting you with such strength as if you weighed nothing.

You dug your nails into her wrist but her hand never slacked its grip, rather she made sure she had you in her hand tighter. You saw white dots decorating your sight; you choked for air, wheezing and whimpering at the same time.

' _Curse me.'_

When your eyes started to close, and you were sure that she was gonna kill you, a gloved hand grabbed Lady Hisana's wrist. She dropped you with a shocked gasp, looking at the person she wanted to be with.

"Byakuya-sama." Her eyes smiled, yet something about it was eery. You coughed and coughed, your body went numb from the lack of oxygen. It took you some time to properly lean yourself onto a chair; you made sure to stir away from that crazy lady.

Byakuya noticed your futile attempt to move farther away. He noticed the hand prints that marked your neck because of the assault; he stood between you and Hisana quickly, he knew something was amiss in all of this. His wife, his late wife, would never do such a cruel thing even when she's angry. Never did she try to physically injure anyone; never did his wife become this empty looking, she was glowing despite her sickness when she was alive.

This wasn't the Hisana he used to know.

"Hisana." He acknowledge her but never made any move to say anything else. He flared his reiatsu inside the office, a sign that he's giving out a warning. He has never done this before, hail down his reiatsu at his wife, because it was dangerous to her health.

But now, all she did was smile strangely. She was familiar with his reiatsu, and it made her feel like she was really back.

Not yet though. Not yet.

Despite your captain shielding you from the woman, that didn't mean that you're out of danger. For all you could know, he could turn his back on you and choose to live with this lady. _'No, I have to trust Captain. He's not that blind! He saw me choking earlier, that's enough proof that there's something wrong!'_

You clutched Zetsubou warily.

"What are you doing here?" Your captain was downright cold; he seemed to notice the wrongness in this too.

Lady Hisana covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve like she was embarrassed by the question. "Oh Byakuya-sama, what a silly question! Of course, I am here to see you."

She acted like nothing happened to the both of you earlier; it also felt like you weren't in the room in the first place. Something gleamed again as she placed her hand down; your eyes followed it but you were unable to determine what it was.

"Do you have some business with me?"

Lady Hisana's smile widened. "Don't be so cold to me." Byakuya tensed.

She stepped closer towards Byakuya, and made an attempt to touch his face but the noble twisted his head in the opposite direction. He was unable to look at those sad, dead eyes.

"Why are you avoiding me?" the hurt was clear on her voice. Your captain clenched his fists; your grip on Zetsubou tightened.

"You…"

Blood was beating on your ears, all you ever seem to hear was your breathing. The noises outside became much more suppressed, it looked like they're finished with all hollows. But this one right in front of you might only be the beginning.

The woman slowly raised her hand again, then there it was… the glint from her sleeve… came from a blade.

On impulse, you launched yourself at her with all the strength you've gathered, Zetsubou's blade flickered in the light of the room. You were now on front of your captain; you have successfully scratch a bit of her sleeve. She was clearly surprised that you still had the fire to fight.

"I'm sorry for cutting in to your conversation Captain, but I'm not having this woman kill you." You pointed your blade to his wife's direction.

Byakuya was confused, "What?"

"There's a blade stuck inside the sleeve of her kimono. I saw it."

Lady Hisana tried her best to look dejected but it came across as disturbing. She looked back at Byakuya, smiling slightly at her husband, then she looked back to you. You maintained eye contact with her, but the more you stared, the more you felt like she was sucking your soul.

"You are always in the way." Something in her cracked.

Something in you did the same.

"You are making a big mistake if you're thinking you could take him away from me." Her eyes turned stark black.

She suddenly disappeared from sight. You squinted hard, thinking that she had some kind of technique that could make her invisible. The hairs on your body stood, a chill running down through it. You thought of something unexpectedly: her soul.

Her soul was inside yours.

She's inside you.

Your eyes widened at this. But realization dawned on you far too late, and by the time your captain noticed that you hadn't move a single bit, you've changed.

"Fall into misery, Zetsubou." You absentmindedly commanded your zanpakuto, to which it obeyed. You don't have any ounce of control on your body, and your mind blank with all thoughts but one: return to Byakuya.

09090909090909

*alert*

A wave of data flashed through Kurotsuchi-Taicho's screen. Bars of highs and lows appeared, and a huge 'WARNING' written above it. The captain screeched, the valuable subject had finally made her move. He was waiting for you to go berserk, and now was that time.

"It seems that she had finally awaken!" The scientist was typing madly at his computer, never missing a beat to input all the data he's receiving in his memory bank and data collection. "She is certainly AMAZING! Her reiatsu can put her among our ranks! HAHAHA, INTERESTING!"

Behind the loony captain was the Head of the Gotei 13, watching silently at the numbers rising in the screen.

"All is going as planned. Prepare the forbidden bell, make sure it can be used anytime it's needed."

The 12th Captain smirked. "Certainly, sir."

09090909090909009

*inner world*

You were startled to find yourself inside your inner world. Your world was dark and cold; cherry blossoms littering in the waters did poorly in lighting up your landscape.

You looked around frantically, searching any movement nearby. Anything that can move here might kill you, Lady Hisana might just be around the darkness lurking.

There was movement in the waters, and you spun around quickly; it turned out to be the spirit of your zanpakuto standing there. He looked and felt different; he didn't have his bandages on, his hoodie wasn't covering his eyes. He let his curly hair sway freely; he had his blade drawn, but it wasn't the same zanpakuto he always had.

In his hands was a huge scythe wrapped in bandages; the end of the staff was sharp like the blade itself. Everything was black, except for the bandages and blade. It was unsettling, something about it scares you.

" _You're here."_ Your zanpakuto turned around to face you.

"What am I doing here?! I can't be here! I need to help Captain!" You tried to hide the tremble in your voice.

Zetsubou slashed past your side, parting the waters in its direction. Water landed on you, but it was better than being cut in half. You grabbed the zanpakuto on your waist but nothing was there.

The zanpakuto spirit walked closer to you. _"Don't resist Hisana Koizumi, and die obediently."_

It didn't took a second for you to understand what he meant, and you run as fast as you could away from him. You didn't have any sword, it would put you in a serious disadvantage while your life is at stake.

' _DAMN, DAMN, DAMN! Everyone's going crazy on me! What am I going to do?!'_

You weren't paying to where you were heading, and suddenly Zetsubou was right in front of you blocking your path. He swung his scythe, aiming directly for your head.

"Why are you doing this!?" You asked, but he didn't answer.

You dodge the blows he executed, but one or two cuts would land on you. The dance between the two of you seemed to go on forever until he connected an attack to your abdomen. Blood gushed out of your open wound. You knelt to the ground, your hands automatically enclosing the wound.

Zetsubou never missed a beat, he put his scythe underneath your neck. You back away for a little; you gulped slowly so you won't grazed your skin on the blade. Blood seeped through your fingers, and your other injuries started to weigh down on you.

The waters around you turned red.

" _Hisana Koizumi, we've been together for only a short time…but I'm afraid I'm about to make that time end."_

You don't know what came over you but you answered back, "You- I hate you… I trusted you like a friend. I cherished you as a zanpakuto; gave you light… You're on _her_ side, aren't you?"

Something in Zetsubou's eyes stirred for a moment, then in a blink, it was gone.

" _I was never yours to wield to begin with. I'm sorry but I can only bring you despair."_ His voiced was laced was sadness, but he never retracted his scythe from your neck.

Your eyes swelled with tears. "I already died once by the hands of a Hollow, a monster; and I'm gonna die again in your hands, a monster." A tear escaped from your eye.

" _Be proud Hisana Koizumi, for you can serve as a vessel for the reincarnation of Hisana Kuchiki."_

"Don't do this, Zetsubou." You can't see him now because your tears started pouring out of your eyes.

The spirit seemed to hesitate, then steeled himself again. _"Goodbye, Hisana."_ You closed your eyes for the inevitable end.

But then the blade never made contact; it was on the ground with the water and cherry blossoms covering it. You heard Zetsubou shout, not registering what happened until you saw a blade sticking out the back of his hand.

A familiar blade; a blade you knew you'd had for a long time.

"Hello, Master."

 **A/N: I left you hanging didn't I? You just have to wait until the next one! Cheers!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Lynxkitten: I'm sorry hahaha. I intended to make that chapter long but… yeah lol.**

 **Lizy2000: there's a reason as to why she's so scary now ;)**

 **monsuno power: and here it is**

 **Guest: Thanks :D**

 **WHEREVER YOU ARE, HAPPY VALENTINES! 3**

Zetsubou hissed at the woman. Something about her was drawing you in, it felt like you knew her. She was like the sky: blue and a mix of white and gold.

" _Aoi Fushigi! How are you still alive!?"_ Zetsubou gritted his teeth. He was visibly angry; tension palpable in the air. But the woman did nothing more than a shrug.

' _Aoi… Fushigi?'_ you thought. _'Is she…?'_ Then just like that, something clicked, like a puzzle piece that has finally been put into place.

" **I'm back."** She summoned her blade on her hand, and swiped it sideways to remove the blood that trickled down it. **"I recalled something you said back then about my name being 'secretive'. Well, I'm not going to te-."**

She didn't get to finish her sentence as you hug her, sobbing from the moment you remembered who you forgot all this time. It didn't matter if you were injured and bleeding, you reunited with your zanpakuto, and that was enough reason to hug her.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry I forgot about you!" Aoi Fushigi smiled, she knew what happened to you. She wasn't gonna tell how she survived out loud, not with Zetsubou there. She was happy that you were still alive, and there was still some hope to make this all stop.

* * *

Byakuya did not understand what happened to you.

You were _normal_ before, but after Hisana disappeared from the both of you, you started acting strangely.

 _Strange_ wasn't the right word, but Byakuya knew that you attacking him isn't right. Little did he know that what he's seeing on the surface isn't you.

Byakuya pointed his index finger on you, mentally casting a Bakudo spell. "Rikojokuro."

You thrashed around the floor, unable to undo the bindings. Byakuya approach slowly; he had to stifle a shock of emotions to appear on his face. Your right eye had been red; there were cracks on the side of your face as well as underneath one eye, and you were ghastly pale.

This isn't you, he thought. You were close to looking like a Hollow.

"Undo this, Byakuya!" Your voice was harsh; the last time he heard that was when you lashed out on him. But this wasn't you, he concluded that it was his wife doing this.

Byakuya mentally made the spell tighter, "Stop this Hisana! What is happening to you!? This isn't what you are!"

Hisana stilled for a moment, and looked at Byakuya straight in the eye. Byakuya can see the broken image of his wife in your face. She was there for a moment, Hisana was her usual self for a moment. "Save me, Byakuya-sama."

Then she ripped through the kido, her reiatsu spread across the room. Whatever change happened in her was gone, she was back to being a monster. "You loved me, and I know you wished I hadn't died that day. There is a way for us to be together again, Byakuya-sama."

Byakuya was looking at your face, but at the same time, he was also looking at his wife. With Senbonzakura in his hands, he prepared for the worst.

Hisana smiled, "I will kill this girl, and take over her body. Then, we could be together again… just like before. What do you say?"

Byakuya wished that Abarai had not finish his task of defeating hollows; this was dangerous, he didn't want anyone to get involve. He was letting the past go; if his undying love was all what started this mess then he's willing to let this go. "I… I had mourned for over many years. And I have mourned enough already; I refuse your offer, Hisana. This is not what I would want to happen."

Hisana was deflated. She sunk onto the floor with shoulders sagging from the words Byakuya said. A bloody tear came down from your face, it felt like a stab in the heart for the noble.

"You choose her over me?"

The 6th Captain paused for a moment, he was tempted but he knew this was all wrong. "…Yes."

You clenched your head in a frenzy, laughing and screaming at the same time. Red tears rolled down your face; Hisana was losing it, it didn't occur to her that Byakuya would choose you: a nobody.

Hisana was ready to attack, and so does Byakuya when suddenly, injuries started appearing on your body, along with a huge slash on your stomach. Hisana didn't seem to mind the wounds covering your body, "Aha-ahahaha! Hahaha! It has finally begun! Soon this body would be mine!"

Byakuya looked mortified, what was happening to you? Where were you? Are you inside your own body but unable to resurface because of Hisana?

If that's the case, then this is bad. Who knows what you're fighting inside yourself?

Hisana perhaps? No, _she's here_. Your zanpakuto?

Your zanpakuto.

Of course.

Judging by the looks of the sword that Hisana was using, it was Zetsubou. If you were inside your soul, you would have seen _both_ of your zanpakuto spirit. But Byakuya heard what Hisana said earlier, she told you that you only had one zanpakuto.

Hisana knows something. She was persistent on insisting that you only had one zanpakuto; too persistent for the Captain's taste that it clearly entailed that she was hiding something.

Hisana focused on the captain again, "You've gone quiet."

"I've always been this quiet." He answered absentmindedly. He quickly changed the subject. "Where is Koizumi's other zanpakuto?"

Byakuya had to mentally keep himself from cringing when more blood gushed out of your mid-section. Hisana answered annoyed, "Not you too. What is this fascination about her zanpakuto Byakuya-sama? I told it time and again, she only had one."

The woman scratched the scabs that formed on other wounds, making them bleed again. She didn't felt any pain in doing so; there was nothing more that mattered to her other than getting your body and come back to her husband.

The noble didn't miss that mistake in your sentence. " _She only had one?_ Meaning to say, she was only meant to control one. Is that why you can control her other zanpakuto?" Senbonzakura's petals fluttered in the room in warning.

She spoke again; hands covered in blood. "She'll die today; no need to know about that."

Hisana's zanpakuto engulfed the room in flames.

* * *

" **Master, stay here. I'll fight this son of a bitch; he's gonna regret the things he'd done to us!"**

" _You want to fight me in my Bankai?"_

Bankai? You never recalled activating any Bankai. Does that mean Hisana's fighting your captain using a Bankai?!

' _This is bad. I have no idea what his Bankai is capable of. Captain might get indecisive when it comes to attacking Lady Hisana because she was his late wife. Damn! How do I get out of here!?'_

Aoi Fushigi seemed to read your thoughts. **"Don't worry. This guy and that crazy woman works separately; although I can't assure you that whatever happens to you here won't reflect on your body when you gain control again."**

You winced, your body must have been shredded by now. Both from Zetsubou's scythe and your Captain's sakura petals. You must get out of here fast, before your body collapses and…

"What happens when… my body can't take the pain anymore?" You clutched your stomach tighter while Aoi Fushigi stood defensively; Zetsubou smiled victoriously.

" _Lady Hisana takes over of course. You will die, and she will possess your body."_ Zetsubou charged at you but Aoi Fushigi managed to block it.

"But my body has injuries! She won't survive if you kept on attacking me!"

" _That's the reason why I'm fighting your soul. That way, Lady Hisana would be able to undo the damages once she take over. You have no escape!"_

' _All of these was to go back to Byakuya's arms again.'_

The clash of swords drown in the darkness of the place; your mind didn't seem to know what to think of first, and you decided to save yourself and Aoi Fushigi first.

"B-but I thought she was cursed! I thought _we_ weren't meant to be with another person! Why is she doing this!"

" _That doesn't matter to her now. All that matters to her is to be with the person she loved!"_ Zetsubou's reiatsu flared dangerously, and you struggled to hold on to your little strength.

" **Last time, you didn't let me use my Bankai. Don't you think that was unfair?"** Aoi Fushigi swung her blade on Zetsubou. He parried it with the staff of the scythe; his scythe bursted with flames as Aoi backed off.

The male spirit swept his scythe, creating an arc of scorching black flames. _"Life is unfair Aoi Fushigi."_ Aoi Fushigi answered with an attack of her own. The woman spirit went back to your side, whispering down to your level. **"I'm sorry Master; I know this is not a good time for you to exert too much body effort but this is worth the shot to get you out there again."**

You forced yourself to answer. "Anything. I'll do anything." You used her hand as anchor to keep yourself from doubling over.

" **Then you can have my Bankai. Fighting him with just the shikai won't do much damage; I wasn't able to beat him before because I can't harness your powers completely."** The both of you stared at each other, Aoi Fushigi whispered a calling to you; the two of you managed to dodge in time before Zetsubou's attack reached.

" _Taking your eyes off your enemy?"_ Zetsubou swung his scythe in an arc, he aimed for Aoi Fushigi's sword. He locked his blade with it, and threw it sideways. The male spirit plunges the scythe on Aoi Fushigi, but luckily, your other zanpakuto managed to palm both sides of the blade before it splits her in half.

The tip of the scythe threatened to make contact with the woman spirit's head. You ran meekly towards the discarded sword. But after you reeled in the moment, you felt a pang of doubt. What if you can't handle your new powers? What would happen to you and to your body outside? What happens if you were too late?

" **Master!"** The blade of the scythe slowly descends on Aoi Fushigi's forehead; you swore you saw it bleed. And when you saw that red, you threw the hesitation you felt out of the window; all you had was rage. You promised to make it back alive, and goes for Aoi Fushigi as well.

You stood as straight as you can handle, gripped the hilt of your zanpakuto hard, and screamed out the command like a wish on a storm. "Bankai! Himitsu no Arashi!

* * *

Byakuya tried hard not to let the petals of Senbonzakura do much damage to your body but Hisana was proving to be too much of an ordeal to him.

"Why hesitate Byakuya?! This is just the body of your subordinate!" Byakuya noted the loss of suffix in his name. Hisana wrecked your office, and they had to take things outside. Black flames from her blade erupted into life; sweat visibly formed in Byakuya's temples.

Byakuya did not know what to do, and it hurt his pride that he can't do anything but stall. The face of his opponent was yours, but the soul fighting him was his late wife.

The Kuchiki noble gritted his teeth, he would have to make a choice. Byakuya held out his hands, the cherry blossoms swayed at his command, and encircled Hisana in a haze. Hisana looked bewildered at swirling petals around her. These sakura petals reminded her of a muddled memory.

She raised her flaming sword upwards, planning to burn the petals out of her way but a searing pain stopped her midway. Byakuya instantly scattered the petals away, petrified that he'd done too much to the both of you.

Hisana's piercing scream startled the captain. She was down on her knees; one hand clutching your stomach and the other clawing the air.

"What is happening!?" She reached for her zanpakuto, but Byakuya didn't let her. He grabbed the sword from her prying hands; and as painfully as it is for him, he watched as Hisana's face (yours rather) contorted into that of pain and sadness.

The wounds on your body bled even more as your voice started getting softer and softer as Hisana's consciousness fades away. "Byakuya remember this… I wished to return to you… no matter what."

 **A/N: Guys, I made a puny visualization of Aoi Fushigi and Zetsubou. Lol, it's just in pencil; nothing fancy. So if you want to see how I made them, you could pm me and I'll email you or idk, haha.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** **Aoi's convos are now back to normal. No bold letters for her except when Zetsubou is present. I'm apologizing in advance if Bya-kun seemed out of character here.**

You woke up in the infirmary of Squad 4. You made no move to get up; you feel the soreness all over your body, and you fought to keep your eyes open.

"Thank god you're awake." You looked at the far end corner of the room to see Aoi Fushigi sitting elegantly on a stool. Beside her was your zanpakuto; only one, and it was Aoi's blade.

You spoke despite the dryness of your throat. "How long have I've been asleep?"

"2 days. Your Captain has been visiting you, he looked worried. And the captain of squad 4 kept on checking on your condition."

You reclined on your pillows as you sat up. You had a ton of questions for Aoi Fushigi but your captain also had a ton of questions for you. You need to go now, laying here won't do you any good.

"You're leaving?" Aoi Fushigi got up as well. She handed you your zanpakuto, and helped you get to your feet.

"We need to. I have a lot to ask of you like for starters, 'what are you doing here?' but I have to get ready first. I need to say thanks to Captain Unohana for taking care of me while I'm here. Let's go." You winced despite your need to leave but that didn't stop you from walking away.

* * *

(*Squad 6*)

You were surprised to see some members doing some construction on what used to be your office; Abarai was supervising with the pacing of the work. _'Was it that intense?!'_

You avoided being seen by them and you quietly made your way to your captain's office. You asked your zanpakuto spirit to wait outside as you took a deep breath and gently knocked; your strength feeble.

When you heard a deep voice mentioning for you to come in, you opened the door to find the captain staring outside. It was unusual; papers left neglected on his desk, and his tea untouched. A breeze entered the room through the open window; you swore you smelled cherry blossoms.

You bowed as much as your injuries would let you. "Captain, I'm here to apologize for all the troubles I've caused you and the squad." You straighten yourself, unable to maintain the bent posture.

The noble kept staring outside. "Are your injuries fine?"

"Yes."

Byakuya mumbled to himself. "…Liar." You watched quietly, unable to hear him.

This time he spoke clearer, "You're just like her, lying to hide the pain." You knew he was talking about his wife, but the thought of her looking so broken seemed like it was all a lie for you. _'Right… lying. But I don't think she hid her sickness for no reason, maybe it was her way to keep you from worrying Captain.'_

"Hisana."

' _If I died, would he finally be able to show emotions again if she was beside him again? Can he finally be happy again?'_ You closed your eyes, willing the thought away to go away.

"Hisana." You shot your eyes open as the voice of your Captain sounded a bit closer. He was right in front of you at arm's length. You looked up at him, you didn't know that he was actually calling you.

"I-I'm sorry Captain. Just thinking of something."

This was the first time he ever called you. He was pertaining to you, not anyone else.

His gaze was making you feel nervous; he doesn't look like he wants to ask questions nor does he look like he's on a breakdown. But for once, Kuchiki Byakuya looked vulnerable.

' _All because of my goddamn fate.'_

Byakuya turned his back. "You are to quit working under Squad 6…"

' _This is inevitable. I knew this day would come.'_ You looked down at your feet…

"And stay in the protection of the Kuchiki Manor." …only to look back up at your captain with eyes wide; you thought you strained your neck at quickness of your movement.

"Wha- Taichō! What?! WHAT?! Tai-" You sputtered.

Byakuya cuts you off, "This is an order from me and the Head Captain."

Your hands were moving everywhere trying to get to a point. "But sir! YOU of all people should know that that's dangerous! Why would the top brass even suggest that?!"

"Lower your voice, Koizumi."

"…Sorry."

"It is for that reason that you can't be simply put onto anyone's supervision. If we decided to disregard the fact that someone can kill you on the inside anytime and take over you, then that would be more difficult on our part." Steely gray eyes stare down at you.

"But- but _stay_?! _Stay_ in the Kuchiki Manor?! _Your manor_?! Sir, I'm already too much of a burden to you. I don't want to cause too much trouble again…"

Byakuya glared. "Do not think me weak to handle such problems. This involves my late wife's soul, whereas she should be resting and waiting peacefully in the cycle of souls."

You stared back hard. "I did not say that." You sighed. You rubbed your temples which made your sleeve slide down your arm revealing the bandages that cover you. It reminded Byakuya of the blood spilling out of you.

"Taichō, I'm not trying to say that I know everything that happened between you and your wife, but this is a fragile matter. I know it's important to secure her safety and that," you cringed, "you _need_ her back. Just- just give me time and I…- I'm sorry for living."

Your captain's sleeve brushed gently pass you as he gracefully walked towards the door. He stopped when he replied to you, "I choose you over her Koizumi; there are many things you haven't yet to know while Hisana swapped with your soul."

His words hung over the air. Then he spoke again. "I expect to see you at the manor later."

* * *

"So I heard you were gonna be Captain's consort now?"

You stare unbelievably at Renji. "No. I haven't even agreed to him yet. And even if I do, I'm not staying there to be his consort nu-uh."

"Oh come on! We could chat there until we want to. Besides, I heard Nii-sama was hell-bent on letting you stay at the manor. This could be the start of something… new!" Rukia fist-pumped, she was beaming with ideas that sounded all wrong.

You played with the ramen you ordered. "That reminds me, he told me something earlier. I think it was 'I choose you over her' or something close to that. I wonder what he means…?" Your voice got lower and lower at the end as you noticed Rukia and Renji watching with expectant eyes. "What?"

Aoi Fushigi, who sat next to you, spoke up. "I think that means something Master."

The two shinigami answered in unison. "EXACTLY."

"Not you too Aoi." Aoi just shrugged.

Rukia gently puts her hand behind your back. "Koizumi, if Nii-sama told that to you then there's a big chance that he's moving on, and I think you're playing a huge part on that. Think of it this way: you're helping my Brother forget about the pain of the past, and he's helping you in return by protecting you."

Renji spoke up in between munching the noodles. "Who knows, maybe you're the next one to melt Taichō's heart."

You flail your hands in the air. "Okay, okay. Enough of this me and Captain talk; all I need to do is stay and behave, it's not gonna be that hard. I still need to pack my things so I need to hurry."

"I say, you go hurry to his heart!" Renji laughed.

* * *

"Goddamn Rukia. This house, oh my god, it's huge. Do all nobles live in this kind of houses all the time? I'd get lost in this place." You clutched her arms. Most of your things had already been transferred here in the manor by the time you went home to pack up. A servant had been waiting outside your house; he served as a guide to get you here safely in the manor. Rukia came along with you, she was so excited that she'd finally have someone to talk to here in the manor.

"Don't worry, you can call a servant if you got lost here."

Two guards greeted the both of you on their way to their posts. "Good evening Lady Rukia. Good evening Lady Koizumi."

You bowed to them. "Oh hello to you too." You whispered to Rukia as the guards walked away. "They called me lady! I'm a lady! What is happening!?"

Rukia smirked. "You'll get used to it more once you've been married to the family." She poked your sides.

"Oh stop it you! Teasing me would get you nowhere." But you still blushed at what she said; you blamed it on the heat. _'It's evening Koizumi, and it's cold.'_

"Are you alright Master? You seem a bit red." Your zanpakuto's smile betrayed her concern.

"It's nothing." Before you noticed it, Rukia led you to a dining room. Its sliding doors were open to let the breeze come in, and a stunning view of the garden could be seen. This was different from what you're used to, and you suddenly got nervous. It felt like you were stepping on forbidden grounds.

' _Hisana was once here; she breathe the same air, and saw the same garden. It's like being in her position minus the marriage part.'_

"You can sit beside me; you can leave your zanpakuto there on the corner." You proceed to settle your sword on the corner; Aoi Fushigi followed and sat beside her blade.

"Good evening Nii-sama." You turned around quickly to greet your captain but his appearance surprised you. He looked younger without his kenseikan; his hair falling freely on the side of his face. The scarf that always comes along with his attire was gone; the captain regalia he had bear was replaced with a light blue yukata and a white upper garment to shield him from the cold evening. He greeted Rukia back then faced you.

"Good evening Koizumi."

You bowed to hide the red spreading across your face. "G-good evening Sir." You can feel your captain's gaze on you along with the other two in the room.

This was going to be harder than you thought.


	19. Chapter 19

It was the middle of autumn, and the winds picked up its chilliness by a notch. You have already been staying in the Kuchiki Manor for over 2 months now. You rarely left the vicinity of the manor (also due to your Captain's orders), and spent the rest of your time wandering around the huge property.

Aoi Fushigi and you would always split up to cover the large amount of space the house has. In the end, you'll end up getting lost or going round in circles until you catch a servant and ask which way would lead to this. Aoi Fushigi never had a problem though, she had the whole house memorized in 3 days; to which you gave her a shocked look. 'Never knew she was the adventurous type.'

At first, you can't keep still at the house; you were always itching to go outside the premises but you would stop yourself from doing so. The first few weeks were miserable with only Aoi Fushigi to keep you company at the morning and the servants that would always be present at your side.

Then you talked to whoever servant would follow you for the day, asking them to call you without using honorifics.

"That would be rude of us, Lady Koizumi."

You playfully pat the maid who's serving you. "Oh it's nothing. Please just call me by my name. It makes me feel less trapped here."

The maid debated her thoughts for a second then finally agreed.

Then talk about the food! It was the most delicious thing you've ever eaten since your stay in Soul Society. Every time they serve the dishes, you can't help but feel bliss at the sight of it. They cooked traditional Japanese foods to modern or American styled ones. You channeled your inner manners to keep yourself from asking another serving.

Your room was huge; huger than your previous room at some apartment in Rukongai. It has relaxing colors, a vase with a flower (which the servants always change every week), a drawer that has an ink slate and papers, a cabinet for your futon, and of course your closet. Rukia insisted you changed all your wardrobes into the ones she selected for you. She was persistent on dolling you up.

You sighed. "Rukia, I have been wearing these things since the moment I came at Rukongai. I can't just throw them away."

"No, no, that's not what I mean. You can keep them of course, but it's advisable that you wear these garments!" Rukia gestured to silk yukatas and cottony robes.

"I look fine now."

"Not when you're aiming to become Nii-sama's bride!"

It was your cue to facepalm.

But of course, you can't forget about your Captain. Even though you're now officially off the squad you still can't help but call him by his title. You rarely see him at his own house, but when you do, he's at his room reading paperwork and clan stuffs. He always left the sliding doors to his room open to let the fresh autumn air come in.

One time, you were out wandering around the manor looking for some rooms you haven't been to. It was your habit to hum songs from the human world every time you go strolling around, even the helpers inside the house got used to it so they don't mind. You were humming your favorite mellow-rock song from when you were still alive; thinking that there was no one there besides you, you started singing the lyrics out loud.

The world's in a hurry

Bokura no jikan wa tomete okou

There's nothing to worry

Toki wa bokura wo tsuresare wa shinai yo (1)

You even hummed the guitar chords, closing your eyes and imagining you were holding a guitar. Your hands move in swift strums. You were so absorbed in the song that you didn't notice that you passed by an open room, and much to your chagrin, the Kuchiki head was there looking silently at your awkward pose.

Your face went red in just a second. You sputtered the words 'sorry' and 'I'm leaving' altogether that you fear he didn't understand you.

That room was permanently etched in your consciousness, and the moment you pass by it again, you remind yourself not to look stupid.

Every time you'd cross paths with your Captain, you'd bow immediately; unable to look him in the face. 'What would be Rukia's reaction if I told her I blew up the miniscule chance of being her brother's wife? Hahaha!'

Aoi Fushigi was (surprisingly) becoming friends with Byakuya's zanpakuto as well as Rukia's. With Sode no Shirayuki, they'd always talk about boys; which soul reaper would end up with their respective masters.

"Rukia-sama would end up with Renji. I can feel it." The snow-white zanpakuto spirit said.

Aoi Fushigi smiled knowingly. "I can feel that too. But I think Renji has zero guts to even confess to her."

"Your Master… she and Kuchiki-sama have an unusual relationship. Not good but not bad either."

You decided to walk away and never eavesdrop into their conversations. When it comes to Senbonzakura though, Aoi lives up to her name and would never tell you what they would talk about. "It's a secret." She says. 'Then I'll just ask Senbonzakura himself.'

Before you go to bed, writing was one of the habits you've earned in your stay. You'd use the papers in your drawer to make a diary. And when you can't sleep, you'd grab your robe, go near the koi ponds and sit under the dried cherry blossom tree.

In those tranquil moments, you recount all the nightmares you've had. Lady Hisana never tried resurfacing, and you have no clue what happened to Zetsubou after you've fought him inside your soul. But nightmares would sometimes visit you in your sleep, consisting of Lady Hisana's hate and Zetsubou's revenge. Aoi Fushigi would rush to your side every time you scream, but lately your dreams have become nothing but fleeting moments.

And it made you uncomfortable.

* * *

It's December now, and the winds turned chilly to harsh; slapping you with a coldness only Hitsugaya-Taichō can endure. But that didn't stop you from roaming away in the night, you'd still visit the sakura tree close to the koi pond.

You rest against the body of the tree. White puffs of air rise as you breathe; you pull your covers close so that whatever heat you may have, you won't lose it. You've lost count on how many nights it has been when you can't sleep, and all you can do is find solace under the withered sakura tree.

The dreams stopped coming, it made you nervous and think silly thoughts. It was better to see the combo of Hisana and Zetsubou in your dreams; at least you know that they're still inside of you plotting god knows what, rather than the fact that they'll suddenly disappear and would leave you guessing what they'll do next.

You stood up and walk at the edge of the pond. The stars provided enough light to help you see your reflection in the waters. You frowned at yourself, your reflection frowned at yourself as well. You grabbed a pebble and let it drop down on the pond making the waters ripple; it reminded you of how your inner soul once looked.

You sighed audibly. You were surprised to hear someone's voice respond to you.

"What are you doing here? It's late." Your former captain walked towards you. He was still dressed in his captain regalia; and he looked even paler under the light of the stars. You can't help but be surprised at his presence.

"WHOA! Captain, you scared me!"

"You did not answer my question…" Steely gray eyes pierced on to yours, and you can't help but remember that embarrassing moment you had not too long ago with your Captain.

Suddenly, you were as uncomfortable as you did the first time you stepped inside his house. You decided to look anywhere but him, thinking that it would save yourself from remembering that stupid event. "Errr…. I couldn't sleep so I strolled here to relax. I'll go back to my room, sorry."

You made a step to exit but the noble grabbed your arm, preventing you from going anywhere. You frowned not knowing what to do or what he wants from you. He didn't say anything; he's not even making a move, so you just awkwardly stay at his side waiting for him to say or do something.

After a while, just when you start thinking that the weather may have already frozen the both of you, he spoke quietly, "Hisana used to do that… When she can't stop thinking about her abandoned sister, she would always stay here."

You didn't say anything. What would you say? You can't do nothing but listen as he remembers how his wife used to be. It must be extra painful for him to see his dead wife 'revived' but in a way that he didn't expected. Though you may not notice it at times, you may have mimicked Lady Hisana's actions before.

And Byakuya can't help but notice that.

* * *

(1) My sweet baby by One Ok Rock


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: monsuno power- I'm sorry I haven't been able to update this for a LONG time.**

New Year came on Soul Society.

Head Captain Yamamoto was gracious enough to give every Shinigami a much deserve rest after a year of services. The Gotei 13 had been given a chance to relax, and each squad is enjoying it to the fullest. Squad 1 and 4 partnered up to host a tea party at the Sō-Taichō's barracks; everyone is invited: meaning everyone, including you.

Although you're under house arrest at the Kuchiki manor, your captain _cannot_ just turn down an invitation from the Head Commander and Unohana-taichō. So even though you're not the type to enjoy huge crowds and socialization, you have no choice but to go.

So when you were sitting down around with the servants of the manor in the kitchen, complaining and grumbling half of the time, you can't help but make up excuses on not going. You've grown comfortable enough to be around them; some of them even became your friends, and they've treated you with equality as well.

A cook chimed in on your complaints, "Oh hush, Hisana-chan! I'm sure you'll enjoy the atmosphere there. You've been stuck inside this house for months! It'll be a nice change of pace." The others seemed to agree with what she said.

"If it's enjoyment I'm seeking then I'd rather sleep throughout the day. Maybe I'll even dream a nice one." Your voice became muffled as you lower your head down.

"But even Byakuya-sama invited you to come! That's enough reason for you to go!" A young girl in charge of cleaning the manor's west section said.

You frowned. You weren't _really_ invited directly by the Head Captain or even the Squad 4 Captain, so why did your Captain have to include you to this event? Maybe it's in pairs? But he could have asked Renji. It doesn't make se-

"Koizumi." A cold, steely voice echoed inside the room that made everyone stood up a tad straighter. Even you abruptly stood up in shock.

' _Oh God, I hope he didn't hear me complaining! I don't want another suspension on my way!'_

"Go to the main room of the house, I'll discuss something about the _party_ this evening." With that, the 28th Kuchiki clan leader left.

When everyone seemed to register that the noble would not surprise them again, they all looked at your direction. Their heads slightly motioning you to follow the captain outside. _'Gosh, they really want me to go to this party.'_

* * *

You peeked your head against the open sliding door of your Captain's office. "Hello sir."

"Come in." Byakuya said without looking away from the documents he was silently reading.

You went to kneel at the vacant cushion and took in your surroundings. This is the first time you've ever stepped inside this office. You've never really wondered around this area that much after your Captain saw you stupidly humming to some song. Now's the time to appreciate the minimalistic feel to his office.

You can't help but notice the pink bonsai tree on his desk. _'Is that a mini sakura tree? Is there even such a thing?'_ You kept on scrutinizing the said plant as if you'll figure out whether it's fake or not.

"Why are you glaring?" You snapped out of your reverie and willed your face to stay calm. "I wasn't glaring." You said quietly.

"You seem to be glaring. Do you hate to go that much?" You looked at your Captain only to see that he's studying your face for any reaction. Feeling the intensity of his eyes, you averted your eyes and looked at the ceiling. He must be talking about the party, "I'm… not that much into parties."

You risk a glimpse to see what emotions would pass by his face, but he remained indifferent to your answer. You can't believe that you even have the guts to reject an invitation to such event. So you quickly added, "A-and besides, it would be rude of me to just appear there. I mean, isn't it an _exclusive_ tea party for the Gotei 13? Anyways, I could use my free time here to train with Aoi; sharpen my skills a little."

After what like an hour of awkwardly staring at Byakuya, he went back to scanning then started to speak again. "You're under my supervision so they won't mind. Ukitake-taichō and Kyouraku-taichō are looking forward to see you."

"As for your training, I cannot let you train alone given your circumstances. It would be wise that when you do train I should be present." He calmly answered.

You blinked at what he said. _'He has a point at the work out part though; I can't just go swinging around without being cautious about Lady Hisana and Zetsubou. 'sides, it would be rude to Ukitake and Kyouraku-taich_ _ō_ _if I let their expectations down; I haven't even properly thanked them for taking care of me after the exam. Damn, I really_ need _to go to that party.'_

You stare at your Captain again. At this point of view, he looks really noble; like a true clan leader. Well, he _is_ a clan leader but right now, it's as if you can see the burdens his carry for the sake of his clan. It's no wonder he's respected by other nobles and Shinigamis alike.

He suddenly spoke. "You're staring again."

A rush of gratitude swelled inside you; you can't help the words that came out of your mouth. "Kuchiki-taichō," you sat straighter and inclined your head, "thank you for your hard work! For the months that I have been staying here, I am grateful for your hospitality. Even though… _things_ umm is sometimes complicated, we're behind your back to assist you. Uh, by 'we' I mean all of us in the squad and here in the manor; but I'm no longer at your squ – Gah! Just – Thank you so much sir!"

Byakuya stared at you with soft eyes; though he's grateful that you won't be able to see that with your head bowed. He didn't expect this 'thank you' speech from you; no, he never expected it. That's why he is at a loss for words.

His eyes softened as he took in your form, _'Such modesty from a person who deals with so much difficulties.'_ He has been battling his unexplainable feelings for months now. Though he may not admit it, somewhere along the way, his perspective of you changed. The time you called him by his given name? The time you defied him? The moments he stole glances in your direction while you arrange the documents? Is it the time when he can't do anything but watch as blood gushed out of your abdomen while Hisana took control, hoping that inside you're still alive? Or was it the time he caught you passionately belting out lyrics of some song? Was it now, with the way you've made yourself comfortable and friendly with the staff of the manor? Is it how you can blatantly express your feelings?

Byakuya doesn't know. If he did, he would've had an answer already. And yet, against his will, he can't help but see the similarities of his late wife in you. Yes, she had changed by unfathomable reasons and it left you severely injured and confused yet, you, you still kept on trying.

 _Thump. Thump. 'The last time I felt this way was –'_

"Sir?" Concern was written all over your face, and Byakuya can't help but feel pleasant that he receives such emotion from you. Even though his late has caused you great pain, your trust in your Captain never wavered.

The noble cleared his throat, "I only did what is necessary. No need to thank me."

You raised your head. "Oh! No, it's fine. It's good to let the other person know that you're efforts are well received and that I cherish the help you've done." You said with a smile.

Byakuya smiles to himself.

"So, about the party?"

"I'll go."

* * *

January was uneventful as you have wanted it to be, but thanks to that tea party you got some well-deserved entertainment. You saw the 8th and 13th Captains and you both thanked them respectfully.

" _No need for that Hisana-chan! We only did what is best!" Kyouraku-taichō said as gulped down another cup of sake. You don't know how he got to bring in a sake to a tea party._

 _Ukitake smiled at his friend's energy. "He's right. We should actually apologized for doubting you before; we knew you weren't an enemy."_

" _No, it's okay. I get where you're coming from, and it's partially my fault for looking suspicious. I'm sorry for that." You bowed slightly._

 _The drunk captain snickered lightly, "I *hiccup* can see that Byakuya *hiccup* brought in a nice girl! Attaboy!"_

" _He did, Shunsui." The 13_ _th_ _captain said before drinking his jasmine tea._

 _You blushed profusely on cue. Thankfully the noble wasn't beside you when you went to greet these two._ 'He'd probably glare at them.' _You smirked despite the thought._

You smiled at the memory of that night together with your Captain.

You decided to get out of bed because of the noises you kept on hearing outside. Servants have been shuffling along outside your room. They seem to be in a frenzy today; some are even carrying foods, based on what you're smelling. You opened the door and called one servant, "Hey there; good morning. What's happening?"

The servant faced your direction and answered, "Hello Hisana. You don't know what is today?"

You scratch your head. "Other than its January 31? No."

"Exactly! Today is January 31."

"Huh?"

The servant smiled. "Today is Byakuya-sama's birthday!"


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I'm sorry for the late update (again). I just went thru multiple bad lucks in life. Thesis and stuff, and my I-touch was stolen. I just shut down for like a week or two. But yeah, I tried my best to finish this chapter. Pls. do review if you have any suggestions or comments**

 **Emzy2k11 – Here's Chapter 21 :D Yey!**

 **monsuno power – It just came out of the blue XD**

 **kuromajin13 – Glad you enjoyed it! :)**

 **hhhhhhh - this fanfic is not for you then :)**

* * *

The servant smiled. "Today is Byakuya-sama's birthday!"

You blinked. Once, twice, thrice. "Really?! I didn't know that! I really didn't know that! I need to get a present for him!"

The servant politely laughed at your panic. "Its okay, Hisana. You still have time before Byakuya-sama's party; and I'm sure whatever gift you give him, he'll appreciate it!"

"Well~ I don't know about that gift part because I don't know what he likes."

"Give him a gift from the heart, and I'm sure it's enough for him." With that, the servant bowed and went on with her duties.

"What does that mean? Something from the heart…?" You placed your hand on your left chest and thought deeply. _'It could be anything! Anything deep perhaps! Loyalty? Friendship? Lov-'_

"What are you doing there clutching your chest? Are you in pain?" Rukia stood next beside you as she looked at your face for any signs of discomfort.

You were surprised by her presence slightly. "I'm not in pain. I'm just thinking of a present to give to your brother. I mean, after all that he has done for me, the least I could do is give him a present on his birthday."

"And what have you thought of giving him?" You two started walking down the wooden hallway of the manor until you reached the cherry blossom garden. This is always the place where the two of you always talked other than your respective rooms.

You looked down at your feet as the cold hits your face. "I don't know yet. One servant told me that anything from the heart would do as… a…" You paused as you looked up, "What is happening? It's winter, right? That's not possible! See! All the other plants are dead!"

The cherry blossom garden was in full bloom; their petals stagnant in the cold winter but nevertheless beautiful. A great contrast against the white of snow. You look dubious; the trees could be fake.

Rukia glances at the pink trees. Her eyes turned soft at the sight. "You know how our clan has an affinity to nature?" She pauses for confirmation; you shake your head, "Well, our clan has a strong connection to cherry blossoms. There is this legend that the first clan leader and his wife promised under a cherry blossom tree that even though death would separate them and erase their memories as they go to the spirit cycle, there is one thing that they would not lose and forget; one place that they can return to, and that is under the cherry blossom. It's also a place where they can watch and guide future leaders and give them wise advices every Spring. This is also the reason why these cherry blossoms are in full bloom right now, it's also their way of honoring their clan leader's birthday especially since Nii-sama's also a wielder of it."

The dubious look you had plastered on your face disappeared with the end of Rukia's explanation. Instead, you look at the trees with wonder. _'These beautiful trees… this is the strongest connection between Lady Hisana and Captain. Her promised was for Byakuya to be happy, so why… Why did she hurt Captain?'_

"Oh! Rukia-sama! I've been looking everywhere for you. We need your opinions in the dishes that will be served later on the event." A servant bowed when she saw the two of you.

"Oh okay. I'll be there in a minute. Sorry Hisana, I won't be able to help you find a gift for Nii-sama. But I'm sure that whatever you'll pick will be great!" Rukia waved goodbye to you and the servant followed with her soon after.

You sighed. "What am I gonna do?"

* * *

You've been wondering around the busy streets of Rukongai; went in and out of various gift shops, and yet none of the gifts available caught your eye. You sighed for the nth time today. It's already afternoon, and you still haven't found the 'perfect' gift.

"Yo! It's you again!" A certain orange-head waved at you.

"Subs! Great timing! Give me an idea for a perfect gift!"

Ichigo pondered for a moment. "Food?"

You would agree if only you knew what kind of food Byakuya wanted. "Other than that."

"Is this for Byakuya?" Ichigo's face lit up as he figured out what's the gift situation is all about. "Today is his birthday, so that's what the gift is all about."

"Yes, this is about his birthday. Can you give me a proper suggestion now?" You ask.

"Hmmmm… well he and Rukia have this strange liking in…. what was it again? The characters they sculpted before... Rukia's was this 'Chappy'; I think Byakuya liked that character called 'Seaweed Ambassador'." Ichigo's face contorted as he remembered Byakuya's strange tastes.

"SEAWEED AMBASSADOR?! A GUY LIKE HIM?!" You shouted in surprise.

"I said the same thing to Rukia, and she punched me right in the face saying that I don't understand the artistic level of the Kuchiki siblings."

You laugh as you imagined Rukia defending the talents of her clan. "Oh my god, that's funny! Well I guess 'Seaweed Ambassador' could work as a gift. Can you help me find one?"

Ichigo scratches his head in thought. "This is sorta like déjà vu for me…"

You cross your arms, "I'm not going to ask you to find a Chappy phone strap for hours. You could decline if you want to, but it'll be much easier for me to find a gift with a helping hand."

Ichigo looked uncertain.

You looked at him with pleading eyes. Puppy-like eyes to be exact.

The orange haired shinigami turned away from you, hiding a blush across his face. "Okay, okay. I'll help you."

"YEHEY!" You grab his arm in excitement.

Ichigo smiled to himself.

* * *

*Back at the manor*

The elders of the Kuchiki clan sat in a straight posture that made Byakuya stiller in his cushion. He knew that there was more than just a mandatory greeting for his birthday. The old and gray pillars of his clan would pressure him yet again to marry.

Byakuya clenched his fists.

"How many years has it been? 40? 50? Isn't it time to remarry and bring an heir, Kuchiki Byakuya?" An old man, probably in his 900th year, opened up the topic Byakuya dreaded to hear. The others nodded in agreement.

"Now is not the right time." Byakuya answered back as politely as he could.

"Why not?" Another elder inquired, "If an heir is to be made, it would ensure our clan's future."

"The Akatsuka clan has a daughter of age; attractive and well-educated. Marrying someone from their clan would guarantee our financial success." An aged woman known for her greedy tendencies spoke.

"Are you saying our _great_ clan are in a financial crisis?!" A thin man shouted at the end.

"It would be best if we choose someone from one of the great noble houses."

Byakuya shifted uncomfortably; his feet going numb from sitting too long. Byakuya knew, he knew that marrying someone out of the noble classes would stir chaos in the council and yet, he didn't care at the time. He fought against them and won. He won for 5 decades, and was defeated in the next.

Hisana blamed herself in every direction, but Byakuya's affection for her never wavered.

His sweet and gentle Hisana.

' _Now… she has completely changed.'_

"Byakuya." One of the elders called him. All of them are staring at him as if waiting for a reply.

He took a steadying breath before addressing the council. "I will not marry. Not now, not today. That is my final decision."

Disapproving noises were heard from the old crowd. One of them spoke up, "Is this because of the girl living here in the manor?"

The room went silent; Byakuya's glare harden. "She has nothing to do with the matters we are discussing now. I did what was required of my duty as a captain of the Gotei."

An old lady with long flowing hair spoke. "I heard some rumors regarding the girl. It is said that she is the reincarnation of our clan leader's late wife." The old crowd grew uneasy.

The greedy old lady spoke again towards Byakuya, "Is she the one you are planning to marry?!"

"You're not planning to defy the council again… or do you? After that stunt you pulled off during your sister's execution, I doubt that you wouldn't dare try to push aside our decisions." The old man who spoke was once a trusted advisor of Byakuya's late grandfather.

"Enough." Byakuya said in a stern voice. He was not having these kinds of problems during his birthday. The council doesn't have that kind of right; speaking lowly of his sister and his actions, and they even included you.

' _I remember my duty to the Gotei. My feelings should not waver.'_

"Any more talks regarding this matter would be dismissed. I do not want to waste my time on arguing something that I already laid a decision upon." With that, the 28th head stood; slow and firm.

* * *

"I THOUGHT THIS WASN'T GOING TO TAKE HOURS TO FIND?!" Ichigo shouted in frustration. It was almost evening, almost the time for Byakuya's birthday celebration. You still can't find a goddamn Seaweed Ambassador plushy or whatever stuff that has the face of the said seaweed.

"BLAME IT ON THE STORES THAT WE VISITED THAT DOESN'T HAVE STOCKS OF IT!" You retorted. You've been all round Rukongai, and most of the stores you've visited was either out of stock or they don't have any. "How rare could that item be?!" You exclaimed further.

Ichigo brushed aside a sweat that trickled down his temples, "Maybe you should just think of another gift."

You faced him, "And what would your suggestion be?"

"I don't know."

You sat down on a bench and stared at the darkening skies; Ichigo followed as well. You can't just go back there and not give him something. Your legs were sore, maybe Ichigo's as well. You didn't intend to drag this gift-finding this long. You apologized to him.

"Why are you apologizing?"

You continued to stare at the sky. "I'm sorry because I took your day away from you."

Ichigo let a moment passed before he answered, "No –I mean, its fine. Don't worry about it. I actually had fun."

You kept on pondering on what to give but none came into mind. _'Maybe I should just write him a heart-felt letter?'_ You nudge Ichigo to get up as you did. You brushed off dust from your back and fixed your hair, "We should go back I will –" You halt your sentence midway as you raise your eyes towards a store in front of you.

"What? What is it? What are you looking at?" Ichigo followed your line of gaze, and what he saw was an art store. Ichigo thought for a moment before smiling at the twinkle in your eyes, "You know what your gift now is?"

You smiled brightly. You know what you can do; you know what your talents are. "Yes."


	22. Chapter 22

Emzy2k11 – Here you go :) !

monsuno power – Stay tuned, and maybe you'll see your suggestion :D

 **A/N: I'm sooooo sooooory I took too long to update this in like FOREVER! Don't worry though; I'm already enjoying a sembreak; YEHEY! I finally got rid of that cursed 1** **st** **semester of mine hahaha! So here it is, Chapter 22! R &R *cheers***

* * *

"DAMN IT!" you crumpled another paper in your fist and threw it with the rest of other crumpled papers.

"Just relax. You still have time before the party." Ichigo looked behind the pile of papers. He saw a certain noble's face on every paper but with different angles. Ichigo picked up one paper and examined it, "Hey, this one's good!"

Without looking away from the canvas in front of you, you asked. "Is that the one where he's looking sideways?"

"Yeah."

"Nope, I messed up the color in that."

Ichigo's frown deepened. "Man, you artists are so meticulous. I mean, to me it looks like it belongs to a gallery!"

"Your flattery's not going anywhere with me, Subs… but thanks anyway." Your hand started moving, dotting lines and curves until if forms a shape. A little shade in some areas; a little detail in some features. Each shape forms a face: the face of the receiver; but something about what you're drawing feels lacking.

You stop for a moment. "This isn't it."

Ichigo facepalmed. He has been watching you sketch and shade, but none of the drawings you made seem to appeal to you. "I don't know what's wrong with it, but if was to receive some art that looks _exactly_ like me, I'd be floored."

You sighed and closed your eyes. You can draw his face; that's easy, but there's something else you wanted to portray in your gift. You think of scenarios, scenes in which you could easily tell a story. Capture a moment, without the camera of course.

Then you remembered seeing your captain once in the manor's garden, quietly sitting under the roof of the manor he has been living in centuries, with his eyes closed. He looked peaceful then, free of any troubles; like he was remembering something warm and distant. But deep down…

He was vulnerable at that time.

' _Deep breaths. Picture it in your head; see the emotions he tries to hide.'_ You opened your eyes and started running the pencil on paper again while keeping the memory in mind.

Ichigo peered over your shoulders, shocking himself in the process when he saw what you were drawing. He decided to let you be, he knows how upset you could be when disturbed.

* * *

"Oh my *inhale* exhale* god, I've never flash stepped that fast in my entire career as a Soul Reaper." You brought your hand down to your knee as you arrive at the gate of the mansion. You managed to finish the drawing in time for the celebration, and you also managed to gift wrapped it properly.

"Meh, you'll get used to it." The substitute shinigami had no big trouble travelling fast. _'He has a lot of stamina.'_ You thought to yourself.

You walked inside the manor but noticed that Ichigo wasn't following you inside, "What's wrong? You're not coming?"

He stayed outside the property. "No, I mean I wasn't invited."

You looked unconvinced. The brash Strawberry shies away from a party? "What? Aren't the two of you like… friends? Rukia is here, hell, maybe Renji's here; and I'm positive, with all the battles you've been with Captain, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Ichigo looked at the distant, and just shrugged. "It's okay… it's seems like a family thing, you know. Anyways, I had fun today."

"Thanks, I had too. And I apologize again for the time consuming search for the gift." You smiled. "See you around, Subs." Before you could go far, he called your name.

"Hisana," he pauses then tilts his chin towards your gift, "good luck with the gift." Then he left.

* * *

You went towards the direction of the kitchen, away from the bustling chitchats of what most likely are nobles, where most of the servants are probably busy cooking up the buffet. You opened the sliding doors and took in the chaos of running servants, and the humid temperature the kitchen emitted.

One of your friend, a cook, noticed you. "Hisana! What are you doing here? Everyone's busy here with something." She dragged her hands up and down on her apron.

"Yeah, I can see that. But I need your help with something, I need you to give this to your master." You thrust the square-shaped gift to her. "It's my gift to him. Please give it to him, preferably after the party."

"Wh-what? Why don't you want to give it yourself?" The cook inquired, inspecting your gift. "What is this anyway?"

"That's not important though. I just don't want to see the faces of those scrutinizing nobles."

Apparently the others heard your plan on ditching the gift on the hands of a servant. "Come on Hisana-chan! I'm sure Byakuya-sama would appreciate it more if he received that gift directly from you!"

Another servant chimed in, "Yeah. I'm sure he'd be happy to accept it!"

"Go on now; I'm sure he's waiting for his princess." They chuckled.

You blushed red, "Okay, okay. Just stop imagining nonsense. I'll give it to him. I'll just go there and place it where all the other gifts are."

An old man, the gardener, spoke. "Young lady, the gifts are to be directly given to the celebrant. You wait in line then you announce you name then you give the gift to him."

You were frustrated at this. "What?! What's with all the process?! Can't I just give this to him tomorrow?"

The cook answered. "No you can't. Come on now, Hisana. This shouldn't faze you. You'll just go up there, say your name, and give the gift to him. It's not that hard now, is it?"

You stare at their strangely happy faces before answering, "…fine. I'll go there now." You turned your back.

"Wait just a minute!" A servant caught you by the shoulder, "You can't just go there in that!" She motioned up and down your shinigami robes.

"I'm just gonna give the gift, not socialize with other nobles." You point out.

"No. You are not going there with _that_."

"Okay! I'll change into something _fresh_!" Your shoulders sagged. You're not the make-up type of gal, well that's probably because of your personality, and since you died before you could even have the interest in make-ups.

"You mean a _fresh_ shinigami uniform? I'm sorry Hisana-chan, but there are a dozen of noble bachelors out there including Byakuya-sama and we're not just letting you go out there and disappoint them, so just let us pamper you and be thankful."

You groaned in response.

* * *

"A little more color on her cheekbones." A servant proceeds to delicately put a blush on in what seemed to be a dozen times already.

"Don't you think I'd look like a clown right now? And aren't we done here yet?" You kept on shifting on your chair; adjusting and re-adjusting your sitting position. The servants grooming you has covered any mirror they could find inside this room. You're thinking that your face might be too colorful by now.

"That must be a human spectacle, I presume. You won't need to worry about color if you're sleeping right." The servant shoots you with a worried glance. "Don't worry, dear. You'll look even better tonight."

You find that hard to believe when your face feels like it has dough. They've brushed and pulled at your hair to keep your unruly strands straight; they also added some scented oil in it to keep it from tangling in all places. They decided to tuck the left side of hair with the use of a lovely silver hairpin.

You almost cried at that eyeliner thing when they applied it to your eyes (A/N: let's just say that they do have eyeliners there :P); it stung and you started blinking profusely, causing the lady fixing your make-up to pinch your shoulder.

There was a bunch of different shades of eye shadow placed on the table, and they must have tried and analyze every color there that would match your skin color. The process of choosing and trying seem to never end, and you're worried that they are taking too long with fixing you up. By the time that they're done with you maybe the party would be finished as well.

Although you hated pink, unless it was the color of a flower or strawberry ice cream, the servants still thought that it would suit you. So decided to use the color pink for your lipstick. _'Bleh, why pink of all shades?!'_

You would have done the grooming yourself, but you didn't have the time to actually think about make-up that much before, and before you could even try… newsflash: you're dead.

"DONE!" The servant claps her hands together; obviously proud of her work. The gleam in her eyes tells you that she have done very well to make you look… _noble._

Another servant spoke, "Hisana! My, my, you look fantastic! Breathtaking!" You only manage to raise your eyebrows since they're still not letting you see yourself in front of a mirror. "You think?"

"And now for the final touch, you're wearing this kimono tonight!" She motions her hands towards a white kimono with red and golden flowers designed in it. It was pure. It was beautiful. And you're wearing it.

"W-where did you get this?" You stand to inspect the silk. You'd stand out in the crowd if you wear this!

"Rukia-sama had a kimono prepared for you just in case." The servant chirped. _'Of course it's Rukia.'_

"Well then, let's get you out there Hisana-chan!"

* * *

Byakuya was never one for parties. The noble felt the need to leave the place and get some fresh air, and after numerous clan heads have announced their family name and congratulated him on his birthday then shower him with gifts of gold, it made Byakuya's head spin even further. It doesn't matter if this one's for him; he hated how the ladies of other families flock to him to flirt. All flashing their toothy grins and practiced sways; they're trying too hard to look sexual, and inside, Byakuya flinches.

Outside though, he gives them the praises they want to hear. As much as he would want to ignore them, he was a noble, _a gentleman_. The elders would never approve his attitude if they were to know. They keep on insisting that he choose a proper bride among the ladies, but he was having none of that.

They don't know that his late wife soul was here. They don't know what it's like to see that Hisana has changed.

Come to think of it, he hasn't seen you since –well since he woke up. Byakuya scanned the crowd of noblemen to see if you were attending the festivity but you weren't around. Judging by the countless times that he has seen you, you were probably among the maids or servants. In the months you have stayed here, you have managed to befriend all of the manor's helpers.

' _It's good. She is not lonely here.'_

He remembered how lonely Hisana was. She was always sick so there was no time for her to establish friendship with the others; her sister was yet to be found so there was no other person there to comfort her other than Byakuya. She suffered alone.

He drank his cup of sake.

A noble lady was moving towards his direction; glinting eyes already on him, and it makes the noble cringe inside. He gave a tiny nod as the lady bowed slightly as she approached.

But before the lady could say anything, Byakuya thanked the gods mentally, one of the guards announced the arrival of the person he was searching.

"Announcing Lady Hisana Koizumi's arrival!"

The whole place stilled.


	23. Chapter 23

Sasha88 –Isn't it nice to discover new OTPs to read? Glad you enjoyed it! :)

Suggestion (Guest) –Will do ('v')/

Emzy2k11 –Thanks for waiting!

monsuno power –It is good to be back! :D Thanks for the reviews btw *cheers*

 **A/N: I haven't updated in sooooo loooong. Sorry!**

* * *

The whole place stilled.

Byakuya allowed his emotions to slip a little; mouth slightly parted, and eyes slightly widened.

You were simply beautiful.

* * *

You had your head slightly bowed; although the servants of the manor insisted that you should hold your head up high and be proud of the moment, you just can't. So when the guards posted around the venue nodded at you, and when one of them _shouted_ your arrival, you tried to make yourself look smaller.

You can feel the dozen pair of eyes trained on you, which only made you grip the wrapped canvas you were holding. You exhaled quietly as you raised your eyes to meet the noble crowd.

The mere sight of them was overwhelming; it was clearly a place where you shouldn't be but you kept on moving forward. Their eyes were sharp, judging, but you didn't paid too much attention since your main objective was to give the gift to your captain, and get the hell out of here.

Something about the air made you walk straighter, more piercing; you heard a noble mutter something incoherent to your hearing. You squared your back, and as you locked eyes with the Captain of the sixth, you can't helped but smile a little.

As you made your way towards him, you noticed that he's with another noble woman. You hoped that you weren't disturbing any conversation between them. You're breath hitched a little now that you get to look at him a bit closer. He was wearing a traditional blue-gold kimono, his kenseikan absent from his hair making him look younger, even his hand gloves weren't there. He looked paler under the colors he's wearing; ethereal even, but what pleases you the most is that he seemed to like your appearance today.

' _I'm thanking the servants later. Oh! And Rukia as well!'_

You must have been staring a bit too long because the woman beside him started chuckling mockingly.

You ignored her, and talked to Byakuya. "Happy birthday, Captain Kuchiki." You smiled. The nobles around you seemed to scoot closer, intrigued by your presence. Of course, most nobles here probably know one another, and here you are marching on their party.

"Thank you, Koizumi." Byakuya, blessed his soul, appeared to be slightly amused.

Your cheeks warmed a little, and you shuffled in your place, but your moment was cut short with the lady beside him. "I don't recognize your name from any house, neither have I heard of a clan named 'Koizumi'."

You cocked your eyebrow at her, then looked at Byakuya. He seemed to anticipate your answer. "I'm not a noble. I'm just a Shinigami."

The woman looked like she was the one having a celebration, and was being violated. "What does a Shinigami like you doing here? This is not a place for you!"

Your reiatsu rose dangerously, but before you could even retort about her attitude Byakuya stepped in before it gets out of hand. "She is my guest. This event is for me, and as the celebrant, I get to decide who stays and who goes."

The lady 'hmph' loudly but she didn't fight back and she quietly went away. The noble onlookers seemed to sense the change in atmosphere so they went on with their business. The party started to buzz again, and the nobles continued to chatter with one another. You looked up at Byakuya and muttered 'sorry'.

"It's fine. I'm… I wasn't keen on talking to her either."

"I see." You nodded. There was stretch of awkward silence before you remembered your purpose for attending his birthday party.

"Oh! Yeah, right!" You present to him your gift-wrapped present. You smiled nervously as he took it from your hands. "It's kinda rushed so I apologize if it came out…not looking like you."

"Is this a painting of me?" Byakuya asked as he examined the size of the present.

"Nope, well not really. It's more of shading and shadowing, kinda like stencil I guess? And yes, it's you." You tried to calm yourself down. What if he didn't like it? What if he preferred other things?

"Where did you get the inspiration? Or perhaps you spied on me?" You detect a hint of amusement in his tone, and you actually blushed at the thought of spying him. Well, it's not like you haven't been quietly _observing_ him, but that's not qualified as spying; you set the thought aside.

You shake your head fiercely causing some of your hair to fall on your face. "Heavens no!" you lowered your voice, "I won't do that. I just thought of…scenarios, or events where I _actually_ did see you."

The noble glanced at you dubiously, and you shot him an innocent look in return. "Oh! And please don't open it right now…Uh, you know, for the element of surprise?" The noble slightly nodded at your odd request.

"Thank you Koizumi." His gratitude was laced with sincerity, and you smiled cheekily.

"No problem Captain."

With your objective done, you decided that there was no point in staying here amongst the elite. As you prepare to leave, a small elderly man approaches you and Byakuya.

"Ah, time flew by so fast. Greetings on your birthday, Byakuya-kun."

Byakuya's features softened for a fraction. "Thank you, sensei."

You looked back between Byakuya and his 'sensei'. _'Is he a teacher from the Academy? I haven't seen his face though…'_

The man noticed your curious gaze and apologized, "Ah, where are my manners? I'm Tachibana Yama. One of Byakuya's mentor when he was just a boy." The old man grinned at the memory.

"Oh! I'm Koizumi Hisana. It's nice to meet you. I'm a shinigami from squad 6 – er, sir." You smiled politely.

"Hahaha! No need to be so polite with me!" He smiled again before turning to look at Byakuya, "You've got a fine lady here, Byakuya-kun."

"Eh?" Your cheeks turned red at the comment.

"She's troublesome sometimes, Yama-sensei." Byakuya closed his eyes in thought.

"Wha –Taichō!" You resist the urge to slap your captain's arm in embarrassment. You weren't that much of trouble, right?

"Well, ladies can have fun too! Girls like her likes to explore before settling down you know?"

The conversation was beyond saving now. "U –umm."

Then, as if something grave happened, Yama's voice turned serious. "Byakuya, it's not bad for you to move on."

A frown landed on Byakuya's graceful features. It quickly faded, and he reverted back to being emotionless. "Thank you for your advice, sensei."

His teacher sighed; he smiled back at the two of you as he left.

The air around you went back to being awkward, and you struggled to find a good way to say that you're leaving. And when you glanced at Byakuya, his gaze was directed to falling petals of the sakura trees.

' _He has that far-away look again.'_

You might as well say it now than later. "T –Taichō, I'll be –"

"Can I borrow your time for a moment?" Against the murmurings of the crowd, his voice was so quiet that you almost didn't catch it.

You thought for a second. "Of course."

* * *

 **A/N: This is a short one, but I promise to make the next one longer :D R &R**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: AFTER MONTHS OF NO UPDATES (omg) I PRESENT TO YOU CHAPPY 24**

 **Monsuno power - I don't know about 'fun' but something will come soon :D. Thanks for your support!**

 **Suggested - No biggie :)**

 **Sasha88 - Sorry for the hold-up :D**

* * *

" _You've grown awfully quiet for months. It won't be long before her zanpakuto finds out that you're hiding in the deepest and darkest corners of her soul."_

She did not respond to his worry. Instead, she kept staring out at dark spaces. It was silent for a while; sometimes she could swore she heard a ripple of a water, only to find out that there was nothing there.

"Today is his birthday," she pauses. "I have missed all 51 of his birthdays."

The zanpakuto sighed in his master's detached state. _"It's only a matter of time before –."_

"Let it go, Zetsubou. Let it go. For now."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The cherry blossoms in the Kuchiki garden swayed at its lord's arrival. Tiny pink petals fall as you and Byakuya make way towards the largest tree in the manor. The garden was far from the inquisitive nobles, and the guards soon left their posts as Byakuya waved a hand over them. The two of you had the gardens to yourself.

' _It's so beautiful here.'_ You said to yourself, _'I wonder why he brought me here?'_ You stared at your captain's back and thought of the possible reasons why he would bring you here. Your thought seems to drift away though; you can't help but think how scenic Byakuya looks against the falling petals.

' _I really don't belong here.'_

"Taichō, why did we come here?" you straight up ask him. You stopped walking a few meters away from him.

Byakuya never missed a beat and continued walking closer to the sakura tree. "Hisana loved this place."

Somewhere, you don't know why, a tiny bit of pain bloomed in your heart.

"Then what am I doing here? This is clearly a place that is significant to the both of you. I don't belong here." You can't help but sharpen your tone a bit. A little part of you wanted to run and return to your room, and another part demanded an explanation for this.

"Whether you like it or not, you are her and she is you." Came the cold response of the noble.

He finally turned to face your direction, and the impassiveness of his face was what made you doubt his answer. You bit your tongue to keep yourself from stating a rude comment and you remained silent.

"I never did overcome her death. I was a clan leader first and foremost, and the elders will strike once they see a weakness in me, so I never bothered to fix myself. This was the most I could do." He quietly spoke. You looked away from his piercing eyes.

"Now, she's back but –"

"I know." You cut through his words. You know how much Lady Hisana had changed; how her wish twisted and tainted her soul, how her fondness to see Byakuya again turned into a greedy obsession.

The only thing separating her from Byakuya is you.

You can't imagine how much he endured throughout the years. You silently waited for your captain to speak again.

"Denying the mistakes Hisana made would do me no good; I would just be running away."

"But you didn't, Taichō. You faced her head on even though –forgive me for being presumptuous- it would bring back memories and would definitely hurt you."

Byakuya looked back again at the cherry blossoms. Only the distant noise of the party served as a substitute to your Captain's silence.

It has been months since Lady Hisana surfaced, and there's no telling when she'll come back to take over your body again. You've thought about it before, that there will or can be a time that you'll lose control over your body and the dead lady would win. That she'll be able to fulfill her promise of returning back to Byakuya.

And where do you fit in to that?

' _Nowhere.'_

"Taichō." You called out softly.

Byakuya slowly looked over at you from his shoulder. A fragment of sadness quickly disappears from his face.

"I'm sure, no matter how bad Lady Hisana turns out to be, her love for you never wavered. That –that is something no one can take away from her." You smiled as gently as you could. It's true that she's twisted, maybe even fanatical about her ways, but it was her love that gives her the drive.

Byakuya turned towards your direction; emotions completely hidden from his face except his eyes. Delicate eyelashes beat softly on porcelain skin, lips pursed in concentration, his hand gently reaching towards you, pink petals slowly falling on the background.

It all happened in slow motion, like a moment of great grandeur your brain is failing to understand. It was blue, it was gold, it was pink, it was black. It was Byakuya's strong arms wrapped around you, secure; it was his smell, like it was home; it was the beating of his heart, the music you must've heard somewhere. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you argued that this was just a piece of Hisana's affection imprinted in you.

You, wide-eyed and confused, gently placed your hands on him; afraid that any more pressure will shatter whatever it is that is happening.

"You confuse me, a mystery. One minute you're a Shinigami who a force to be reckon with, a storm, and then you're a lady, standing tall amidst a crowd she doesn't know, but now…" Byakuya's voice was so near you that it was making you all awkward.

"W-hat?" Internal dialogue and actual words to be spoken are mixing up.

You hear a low rumble of laughter as he slowly lets go of you. "Nothing. Go Koizumi, the night is still young and it is not right for you to spare it on me."

Dazed and mildly missing the warmth of another, you internally slap yourself but it does nothing. A weak "But you were the one that brought me here" was your reply.

Something about Byakuya made you look at him at a different way, and it was so hard to separate Hisana Kuchiki and Hisana Koizumi.

"Go, Hisana." The noble said with confidence.

You managed to say "Yes" or was it "Yeah", maybe it was a mixture of both and came out as "Yeash" but that doesn't matter to you. You bowed deeply, left the noble to his own, and flash stepped towards the silent part of the manor, away from the life of the party.

Rukia was startled at your sudden arrival; her hands raised in a defensive position.

"RUKIA! H-HEY! WHAT YOU DOING?!"

"Koizumi? What -? You startled me!" Rukia lowered her hands. "Are you okay? You seem a little flushed."

"ME? FLUSHED?!" You slap Rukia's shoulders a bit hard. "PFFFT, NO WAY!"

Rukia had that look on her face that she does not buy your bullshit.

You grinned from ear to ear; sparks dancing in your eyes. "No worries, no worries! Come on Rukia!" The two of you ran as much as your kimonos would let you. "The night is still young you know!"

"I can't decide whether you've lost it or you've had too much drink...," she smiled at you, "But yeah, no worries."

Somewhere deep inside you, the lady grins.

 **A/N: R &R please! I'd like to know if I haven't lost touched in writing this story sooooo comments are appreciated! Thanks!**


	25. Chapter 25

Spring came in late at Soul Society. In the months that you've stayed within your Captain's manor, you would usually just stroll around or talk to the servants of the house. This particular day though, you wanted to go and visit Squad 6.

' _It has been a long time since I've been there. Might be a good idea to say hello to some people or Abarai-fukutaichō.'_ You thought. So you woke up early, even though you dreaded morning, to catch up to your Captain.

"Sir!" You managed to find Byakuya before he left the manor for his duties for the day. "Can I go to Squad 6 today?"

Byakuya answered calmly. "Why?"

You haven't actually thought of a good reason for that. "I just wanted to say hello to the others…?"

"No."

"What?! Why not?"

Byakuya turns to leave. "I'll let them know about your greetings." Then he disappeared.

You groaned. You've been stuck here with nothing much to do; you've been behaving for the past months so you were actually thinking that he'd give you permission to see the outside world. But that's not clearly the case right now.

The guards stands alert at the manor's gate, but you're not stupid to just force your way out through the main gate. One the perks of living inside the manor is that you get to memorize it, you know, in case you're feeling caged up and you want escape.

You also have SWA to thank for. If not for their surprise meetings here in the manor, you wouldn't have figured out that there are a dozen of tunnels hidden. No matter how much Byakuya tries to stop the women from conducting their meetings here, they always managed to find a way in. You only needed to bribe Yachiru-fukutaichō with candies so she'll tell you where the tunnels were.

You left Aoi Fushigi in your room before going to one of these tunnels.

' _This is so dubious.'_ You thought to yourself, but you really wanted to go out. "Well, here goes nothing." You crawled your way through the small crevice and you wondered how all the members of the Shinigami Women's Association would fit through here.

The moment the refreshing air hit your face, you sighed. You almost thought that you were lost inside that maze. You looked towards the path in front of you; you were close to the barracks of Squad 4 and a little further away was Squad 5.

You breathe in deeply, filling you lungs with air. Suddenly a sharp pain in the chest stops you.

"Ow!" You clutch at your chest. You shrugged, thinking that maybe it was your heart adjusting to the contraction.

If only you knew how wrong you were.

* * *

Instead of going originally to Squad 6 as you had hoped for, you opted to go to Rukongai. You jumped through house roofs as you made your way deeper into the slums. Once you've reached the place you once called home, you halted.

The 43rd District of Rukongai was neither rich nor poor. It does not enjoy the same privileges the 1st district has but it is not as gloomy as the 70th or lower districts. It was one of the middle places in the Rukon. Nonetheless, people here are a mixture of classes.

You walk around the people who are busy with shopping and buying goods. The last time you were here it was bitter. Everything was destroyed or burning; a Menos Grande killed the two people who welcomed you in their home. Reminiscing about the house you once lived in made you smile sadly; you decided that that's where you'll head off.

The Menos Grande that raged through this area left destruction, and it was still apparent in the houses that were left ruined. If this wasn't Soul Society, you'd think that there are ghosts trapped in those debris… but those souls that died probably went on to next process of Soul Cycle.

You stood in front of the house that Sora and Taro once lived in or what was left of it. None of the pillars that support the house was left standing. You could see charred wood and dirtied cloths.

You closed your eyes and imagined the house to its former state. Go back to the place before everything else happened. Sora would be cooking porridge; Taro would be sculpting toys out of wood; you'd be there, standing, just watching them. How different things would be if they were still alive.

' _I hope you guys are safe wherever you are.'_

A shiny object got your attention as you opened your eyes. You walked closer to the debris, careful not to step on any sharp or collapsing objects. You approach the object and found out that it was a metal chopsticks. It was one of Taro and Sora's object of fascination. They find it peculiar that there exists _metal_ chopsticks. You explained to them that it was probably from the human world.

They thought that only rich people could afford such objects, and at that time they felt rich. It was one of the happiest moments you had with them; all three of you took turns in using the chopsticks. Even though it was silly to you, for them it was like receiving a small fortune.

You decided to take the chopsticks and hid them safe in your pockets. You step away from the wreckage, but not long after you distance yourself from the house, the same chest pain you felt earlier came back. This time, though, it was unbearable.

"Agh!" You crash to the ground because of the pain. The pain wasn't subsiding like it did earlier; you crunched your eyes shut to block out the sting.

Just when you thought the pain was gone, the moment you opened your eyes you were surprised to yourself inside your inner world.

Before it was a clash of colors with Aoi Fushigi and Zetsubou both living inside your soul, but now it changed scenery again. Except that there is no scenery to look at right now. Everything else was black but there's still the flood of cherry blossoms beneath you. The pink glow of the petals was the only source of light here.

Suddenly you felt alarmed that you were suddenly summoned in your own world; even more alarmed when you remembered that you left Aoi back at the manor.

"Shit!" You said angrily, not bothered by the fact that someone might here you.

"A lady should not express such foul language." A silky voice spoke from within the dark.

* * *

Aoi Fushigi scrambled to make her way towards the barracks of the noble. She hasn't been able to sense her master's presence since she left the manor. When she tried to go to where her master was by manifesting in her inner world, she was blocked. Aoi Fushigi knew something was wrong. She bit her lip hoping that nothing bad has happened to you.

Shinigamis were shocked to see her, mostly because they don't know her or maybe because of her aura; she was ready to murder. She was praying that you'd be here but since you couldn't sense you, she had no way of telling. Not bothering to knock, she barged right in to the office of the captain.

"Is master here?!" A frown graced her features.

When Byakuya took too long to answer, Aoi Fushigi growled. "Where is she?!"

Byakuya instantly figures out that you're not in the manor and that you've gone somewhere where your zanpakuto can't track you. "She's not here," he answered, contemplating as to where you were.

"Did she not tell you where she's going?" Byakuya inquired the spirit.

Aoi Fushigi controlled her anger down and thought deeply. "She wanted to go here; say hello to that Renji and perhaps to other Shinigamis. She also said about wanting to visit home."

Byakuya's features adorned a frown as well. "Home?"

The zanpakuto glared. "Yes, home. Other than the house we lived in before we moved to yours, I don't know any other than that."

The captain closed his eyes. You said 'home'; saying 'home' has a different value than saying 'house'. That was when Byakuya felt it, clawing, reaching, to him. It was familiar, and at one time, it was also home to him.

"I know where she is." He said as he stood up.

 **A/N: monsuno power – Glad to hear from you! :D**

 **I didn't have time to edit this so there might be some mistakes. R &R peeps!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry for the late update! Don't fret though, I made sure to make this chapter action-packed!**

 **heleana1- Here it is! Thanks for waiting!**

 **monsuno power - I hope this chapter surprises you :D**

* * *

You hissed at the lady in front of you. "Are you planning something again?! Don't you see that it only causes pain to –"

Lady Hisana holds up her hand to stop you from talking. "You don't have the _right_ to talk about pain especially ones that concern him."

"Excuse me?! You think that after what I've been through is not enough for me to understand what pain is?! I've lost people, caused pain to them, and _you_ think I have to see worse?!"

The atmosphere around you shifted, something heavy lingers around the air. You noticed that it was her reiatsu permeating your inner world. You looked around to see if you can sense Zetsubou but you can't; either because he's concealing his presence and attack you in surprise or he's just not around you at the moment. You hoped it was the latter but it's too good to be true especially when he has sided with this monster.

"Your puny months of experience is nothing compared to what I have endured before and after death." Her tone of voice changed, and suddenly her appearance as well. Cracks appeared under her right eye which is now dyed in red.

Instincts tell you to run but with no zanpakuto and no sense of direction against the darkness surrounding you, you might as well face her head on than tuck your tail.

Suddenly, she produced a zanpakuto; holding it aloft her right hand. It engulfed itself in black flames, ready for battle. You inwardly cursed at said sword, _'Zetsubou, you traitor.'_

The cherry blossoms beneath your feet scattered away. As they disappear, a ring of black flames quickly encircled you and Lady Hisana. The waters around you evaporate, and you're left sweating and panting as the heat feels like it's roasting you alive. There was no escape in this circle you're trapped in.

"What's the matter? I've even barely started." _'There she goes again with that sweet venomous voice.'_

This is do or die.

* * *

The Captain of the 6th and Aoi Fushigi rushed towards the 43rd district of Rukongai. Byakuya left the squad in a haste that he didn't have time to 'leave' the squad to his fukutaichō. But he has more pressing matters than that, he can't sense your reiatsu and instead he's showered with his late wife's presence.

As the two of them approached your former residence before becoming a full pledged Shinigami, both of them were greeted with a sight of a flaming ball of black fire. They a stopped a few feet away from the flaming sphere to avoid getting scorched by its heat.

"I can faintly sense her inside that crap! How are we supposed to break that thing?!" Aoi Fushigi fumes as she's distress on how to save you from the clutches of that evil woman and that disloyal sword.

Byakuya silently considers all his options. He can _try_ to attack the sphere using Senbonsakura but he thinks that the immense heat will burn away the petals. Going Bankai is out of the question considering he might kill you while he destroys that flames. Kido will not suffice in this kind of situation.

Calling the attention of other Captains is also not plausible; this problem is between the issues of his late wife, you, and him. This already escalated before, and Byakuya is not wishing for a repeat. Causing commotions within the Gotei will also reflect poorly on his standing as both a Captain and a Kuchiki leader.

Byakuya frowns deeply at that.

The pride that he has upheld within years and years of maintaining his reputation and glory is now hindering him yet again in making decisions. How easy would it be to just let it all go and do the right thing – but that was not something that came natural to the stoic noble.

' _When,'_ Byakuya thought to himself, _'when have I started to become like this?'_ He thinks back to his childhood; his mother, who he never got the chance to meet; his father, gentle and kind, taken away to early from him; his grandfather, strict and the epitome of the Kuchiki clan's success; his teachers: Ukitake-taichō, Kyoraku-taichō, Yoruichi, and Tachibana-sensei, the people behind his attained skills and poise in the battlefield; Hisana, his late wife, fragile yet her determination made her strong, a sister looking for forgiveness, the one that melted Byakuya's heart; Rukia, his adopted sister, the one who taught him that family is important; Abarai Renji, his lieutenant, who's ready to defy a given order given the right situation, both brave and sometimes stupid; Kurosaki Ichigo, the invader that made him realize that sometimes doing the wrong thing is the right thing; and then there's you, a seemingly normal Shinigami, a young girl who carries the burden of his late wife's wish, a person who keeps fighting against the odds, the mystery to Byakuya's heart.

A blast of heated wind throws Byakuya out of his reverie. He blocks the harsh heat to his face with his hand. _'This heat could contest Sōu-Taichō's Ryujin Jakka.'_ He looks towards Aoi Fushigi who is currently engaging herself in a futile battle against the ball of fire.

The female spirit growled in irritation for the nth time. Her patience was thinning out; if none of her attacks are working then she has no choice but to use her Bankai. She glared hard at the black flames, "Ban –!"

"Do not even try to do something that would harm your master." Byakuya calmly stated as he clashed his zanpakuto to Aoi Fushigi's.

"If you have a better plan, then now's the time to tell me that." She spatted.

"You will step away from that thing." A voice boomed a few meters from the two. Byakuya stoned his facial expressions as he recognized who it belonged to.

"Why would I do that?!" Aoi glared at the woman she doesn't recognize.

Byakuya took over before Aoi loses her temper altogether. He stared at the group of assassins surrounding them. "What is your business here, Soi Fon-Taichō?"

The Captain of the Onmitsukido smirked confidently at the noble. "This is a direct order from the Sōu-Taichō," Byakuya glared at that, expecting the worse, "we are to contain Hisana Koizumi within the cells of Squad 2 as per her... _issues_." She pauses and gazes towards the black flames, "but seeing the situation right now that might be impossible. Thus, we are to _eradicate_ her _and_ all those who stand in the way." The assassins stand alert.

"Bitch." Aoi Fushigi muttered under her breath. Byakuya would very much like to agree with her.

Soi-Fon snapped her fingers and her subordinates scurry at the back to retrieve a box wrapped in sigils. A member of the Kido Corps chants something incoherent towards the box. The sigils start disappearing one by one until the box opened.

The Captain of the 2nd approached the box warily and grabbed a hold of its content. She slowly pulled it out of the box and revealed out in the open for everyone to see. Byakuya's eyes widened; he's familiar with the Research and Development Department's sealed weapons, and he's looking at one right now.

"What are you gonna do with that bell?" Asked Aoi who suspiciously glares at the rusty object.

In an instant, Byakuya was gone from Aoi Fushigi's side as he flash stepped to where Soi Fon is. Senbonsakura's thousand blades came down on the captain but she was nowhere near Byakuya.

"Are you rebelling against the orders of the Head Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya?" Soi-Fon angrily asked as she gave the forbidden bell to one of her subordinates and drew her zanpakuto.

Byakuya's answer came in a fury of sharp petals.

* * *

 _*your inner world*_

"Are you done already?" Lady Hisana whips her zanpakuto to the side to wipe the blood off it.

You're on all fours, bleeding badly, but you still manage to send a glare towards your adversary. "I hate you."

Lady Hisana stares blankly at your weakening form. She doesn't understand why you even tried to fight her weaponless. She admitted to herself that your surprise casting of kido, albeit directionless, did caught her off guard but it was not enough to deter her.

It was only your speed that carried you this far. Although you weren't fast enough to dodge some of the flames that she hurled towards you, you still held up yourself well. Nonetheless, it was time to end this. The lady walked towards you, readying her blade in a striking stance. She kicks you hard on the jaw making you lie upwards. You tried to glare at her still but the upside down view was not helping.

"Any last words?" She said as she pointed Zetsubou's tip to your chest.

You gathered up the blood inside your mouth and discharged it near her foot. _'This is it huh?'_

You closed your eyes but opened it again in reaction. Searing hot pain blinded you as you felt the blade go through you and out. Blood poured out of your body, you inhale and exhale in short breaths; the warmth inside your body slowly surrounds you in red.

' _Ahh, I screwed up.'_ Your eyes fight to stay open but it was hard. _'This isn't what I wanted.'_ You looked to your side to find that the flames had disappeared and the waters were slowly creeping its way in again.

"Go to eternal slumber, Hisana Koizumi." Was the last thing you heard.

But the last thing you saw was a petal of cherry blossom.


End file.
